SW New Mexico News

Doña Ana Elementary School's third and fourth-grade teachers, Alice Mirabal and Annette Arguello, have been recognized for their dedication to agricultural education. The New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau honored them as the 2024-2025 New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom (NMAITC) Teachers of the Year during its 108th Annual Conference.

The recognition comes after two years of integrating agriculture into the curriculum through classroom presentations, field trips, and hands-on learning opportunities. This initiative is part of a pilot program by NMAITC aimed at developing a statewide school adoption template that connects students with agriculture, STEM subjects, and real-world problem-solving.

Traci Curry, Director of NMAITC, praised Mirabal and Arguello: “These two Nationally Board Certified veteran educators are accustomed to going above and beyond when it comes to helping their students make important connections. It is a pleasure to provide the kudos they so richly deserve through this award.”

The program has included educational trips such as one to Percha Dam State Park to teach students about water conservation's role in sustainable agriculture. Students also visited New Mexico State University College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences to learn about topics like food science and animal nutrition.

Mrs. Mirabal explained the importance of these experiences: “By exposing students to local agriculture, students learn how our climate and water availability impacts farming practices and how it plays a central role in our state’s culture and economy.” Mrs. Arguello added: “Opportunities such as these help our students visualize attending college while illustrating how agricultural and food sciences can be wonderful career choices.”

For their contributions, both teachers received $500 checks, customized award belt buckles, and funding for the 2025 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Minneapolis.

NMAITC is an outreach program by the New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau Foundation focused on educating pre-K-12th grade students about agriculture's significance.