This story is part of a series of “meet & greets” with individuals who use our Adopt a Cow program to inspire you with the endless ways you can incorporate the program in the classroom and beyond!

Andrea Napier, a high school teacher from Illinois, has a challenging, but rewarding role: she helps high school students who fail certain courses recover their credits and walk across the graduation stage. She teaches students who are 14-18 years old in all general subjects – from algebra and science to English, social studies and elective courses.

“One student could be taking health this week, and next week they could be doing an elective. We monitor their progress. I talk with them [when they start my class] and I give them a minimal percentage in order for them to pass the course by the end of the school year,” Andrea shared.

While she has been helping students overcome their failed classes, she has also found a unique way to help them build real connections with dairy farmers – and each other – through Discover Dairy’s Adopt a Cow program. The program allowed them to “adopt” a calf from a nearby dairy farm.

“We started the Adopt a Cow program, which I learned about through another teacher. I thought the program could help me build somewhat of a relationship with my students and give them chances to talk in front of the class, since I really don’t get to do that in this setting,” Andrea explained. “This was just my second year using the program, but I really like it and the kids really like it.”  

One of the ways the program has helped her students build connections, and express themselves in front of the class, is by sparking important conversations and memories about agriculture in their community.

“The program makes it easy to engage with students. Some kids will tell stories. One student described what he experienced visiting his grandma’s farm and how she would milk cows,” Andrea said. “The first year we did the program, we had a student whose family has a dairy farm. She talked to my class about what she does and how there’s never a day off from work. She also named a couple local pizza places in our area that buy their cheese from her farm. It was very interesting for students to hear that from a peer.”

The Adopt a Cow program has also helped Andrea’s students connect with real farmers and gives them a more tangible way to ask real-time questions. Andrea has found this especially valuable with the rapid advancement of technology that makes it difficult for students to actually connect.

“A lot of high schoolers just want AI to tell them the answers – instead of hearing firsthand experiences from someone else and spending time talking about it,” Andrea added. “The Adopt a Cow program gives them a little more knowledge. When we connect to a cow and share examples with them, I think it’s more meaningful to students. It’s more real and tangible. Kids will raise their hand and bring things up. They’ll chime in on experiences they’ve had.”

Along with conversation and connection, Andrea incorporated some of the program’s dairy-themed activities into her class once a month. They also tuned in to the Adopt a Cow live chat, where they had the chance to virtually meet their adopted calf and host farm.

As Andrea makes deliberate time to motivate and connect with every one of her students throughout the year, the ultimate reward is when they walk across the graduation stage and overcome the challenges they faced.  

“Any teacher could probably tell you that there are some days when you go home and wonder if you’re doing enough for these kids. Another teacher helped me realize that you have to start developing relationships with them and get them to start talking to you. It’s so true. I could easily have behavior issues in my room, but I really don’t, because I talk to them or I pull them out in the hall and reason with them,” she added. “And when I see the reward of them getting their diploma, I’m really thrilled. They listened, did what they needed to get their credit back, overcome their mistakes, and graduated and moved forward from there.”

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The Adopt a Cow Program is now open for enrollment for the 2025 school year! Click here to learn more and adopt a cow for your classroom today. The program, which impacted more than 1.7 million students last school year, is free thanks to support from Discover Dairy partners and donors.

Discover Dairy is an educational series managed by the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania in partnership with American Dairy Association Northeast, American Dairy Association Indiana, Midwest Dairy, The Dairy Alliance, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Dairy Management West, Dairy West, New England Dairy, Dairy Farmers of Washington, American Dairy Association Mideast, Dairy Council of Florida, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, Maine Dairy and Nutrition Council, and Oregon Dairy Council.