Harvest help at 10-year low
PRESQUE ISLE – The number of Presque Isle High School students who worked during this year’s potato harvest is the lowest it’s been the last 10 years.
According to results of the student harvest survey that were shared at the Nov. 17 SAD 1 board meeting, only 105 high-schoolers performed harvest-related work during the three-week break. In 2009, 141 students worked, while 132 worked in 2005.
This year’s harvest-related jobs included handpicker (six students), harvester (35), potato house (27), School Farm (24), truck driver (five), windrower (three), and babysitter for parents so they could work in the fields (three), while two worked at Ag World Support Systems, LLC in Easton.
Of those students, which represents 19.2 percent of the school’s population, 41 were seniors, 39 were juniors, 18 were sophomores and nine were freshmen. They earned, in total, $121,587.
Survey results show that 21 other freshmen did non-harvest work, while 120 did not work at all. Seventeen sophomores did non-harvest related work, while 91 were unemployed. Forty-one juniors did other work and 70 did nothing at all, while 52 seniors did non-related harvest work, and 31 did not have jobs.
By comparison – in 2005 – 176 students did non-harvest work, while 339 didn’t work at all.
“As you can see,” said Superintendent Gehrig Johnson, “the number of students who didn’t work at all in the harvest seems to be growing.”
Johnson reminded directors that the board agreed several years ago to revisit the potato harvest issue if the percentage of students doing harvest-related work got down to 15 percent.
“We’re within that range that we use as a criteria,” he said, noting that SAD 1, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Mars Hill and Easton continue to have a three-week harvest break. “Many schools are getting away from having a full harvest; Ashland doesn’t have it all, and some schools have pared it down to two weeks. It’s all over the place.”
Director Robert Cawley questioned whether the students who work at the School Farm should even be included in the harvest-related work ratio.
Johnson said while all the work they do may not be related to potatoes, “it’s still harvest work.”
Board member John Johnston said that if those students were taken out of the equation, the percentage of students working would likely drop below the agreed upon 15 percent.
“I think the point could be made that some of those kids would work in a potato field if we did not have the School Farm,” said director Paul Saija. “There are some that would do harvest work elsewhere, but they choose to work at the School Farm.”
After additional discussion, there was no motion made by the board to have a full review of the harvest break policy.
Also during the meeting, the board heard from Debbie Kinney, whose granddaughter, Angel Parsons, attends Pine Street Elementary School with her service dog, Prada. Parsons suffers from a seizure disorder and other medical conditions, and recently acquired the dog, who is trained to assist her in the event that she has a seizure and alert her caregivers of the event.
“Prada is the first service dog to be introduced into the SAD 1 school system and there have been obstacles along the way to integrate her into Angel’s school environment,” said Kinney. “New and different circumstances can always be challenging for the people who are in control of an environment. My goal is to help people understand how important it is that Angel be given the opportunity to have Prada with her at all times.
“Prada fills a void that a teacher with a classroom of students simply cannot be tuned into constantly. With Prada’s assistance, she can be alerted to any physical or mental issue that could arise through the course of the school day,” she said. “Prada should be perceived as enhancing their ability to teach Angel, and not as a liability to their school environment.”
Kinney explained that – in the event of an accident related to the dog – Prada is covered by her homeowners insurance.
“Angel deserves the opportunity to receive an education and Prada enhances her opportunity to be in a classroom. I am asking for understanding from all those involved with her education that Prada is an integral part of her life,” said Kinney. “Prada is a new different ‘tool,’ if you will, to encourage and enhance my granddaughter’s life. Please be a part of the solution, not a problem, in our journey with Angel.”
There was no discussion by the board following Kinney’s comments.
The next regular SAD 1 board meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15 at the PIHS board conference room.
