Klamath County, Oregon – Two Klamath County high schools are about to turn $250,000 in grant funding into something students can build, repair, raise and learn from with their own hands.
Henley High School and Lost River Jr./Sr. High School each received a $125,000 CTE Revitalization Grant, giving both schools new room to expand career and technical education, but in very different ways. Henley is preparing to raise cattle for the first time, while Lost River will overhaul the wood and metal shops students already use to create projects.
At Henley, the work begins with a fence.
Students in an advanced agricultural science class recently visited the school farm with agriculture teacher Meagan Greif to examine the area planned for a new livestock enclosure. The school expects to acquire bred heifers, with a goal of having the cattle on campus by early spring.
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Once the animals arrive, students will take part in livestock management, nutrition, reproduction and animal health. They may care for pregnant cows and newborn calves, study breeding options and consider genetics, including traits such as birth weight. Because Henley cannot keep a bull on site, students could explore artificial insemination or sending cows elsewhere for breeding.
Students also will develop a Henley FFA cattle brand, check whether it is available and eventually take part in branding the animals.
The cattle project will add to Henley’s existing livestock opportunities. The school already allows students to keep individual sheep projects on campus if they do not have space at home. Eleven ewes are expected to return to Henley bred, with lambing anticipated around Jan. 5.
Lost River will use its $125,000 award differently.
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Its “Going Back to the Basics” project will focus on modernizing the school’s metal and wood shops with new workbenches, lockers, tool storage, hand tools, portable power tools, ventilation improvements and other equipment.
Agriculture science and technology teacher Meghan Miller said the school has already spent several years bringing in newer, industry-aligned equipment.
“What we really need now is the basics — new workbenches, new lockers, better organization, hand tools, and more simple portable power tools,” Miller said in a release.
“We hope to still fit in some more equipment as well, because the more usable equipment we have, the less time students have to wait in line to get projects done.”
The goal is to remove remaining outdated equipment and make both shop spaces more functional, allowing more students to work at the same time.
The competitive CTE Revitalization Grants are awarded through the Oregon Department of Education to help schools expand career-connected programs and give students more hands-on learning opportunities.
