Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Teachers: THANK YOU for all the energy, support and creativity you pour into your classrooms every day. Our Discover Dairy teachers have a strong passion for agriculture, so this week, we want to showcase a few who are going above and beyond for their students and communities. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for this spotlight series! We know our teachers are the heart of our school communities, and we are inspired by the difference you are making.

Meet Jennifer France

Meet Jennifer France, a kindergarten teacher at Indian Hills Elementary in Arkansas. Her purpose is to be an always-available resource, helping to bridge gaps in information and support. The chance to shape future generations and make a lasting social impact is a powerful motivator. As a teacher for 25 years, she loves watching kids grow throughout the year and the smiles on their faces when they realize they are reading, writing, doing math, and becoming scientists. By having them in kindergarten, she gets to watch them grow from the beginning and cheer them on.

Living in a city, Jennifer uses the Adopt a Cow program to help her students learn about farming and the importance of farms in their everyday lives.

What’s her favorite agriculture activity? “My students don’t know much about farming. They love watching the virtual farm tours and learning about cows and dairy farming. This year has been extra special because the cow we adopted lives at the college my son attends, so we are able to make a personal connection.”

Meet Alexa Brown

Meet Alexa Brown, a fourth-grade teacher at Thomas Hooker Elementary in Connecticut. Growing up with a learning disability, school was often a place where Alexa doubted herself and felt like she wasn’t as capable as the other kids. That changed in fourth grade when her teacher took the time to truly believe in her. That support made a lasting impact on her confidence and how she saw her own potential. It inspired Alexa to become a teacher so she can have that same meaningful impact—helping students feel seen, supported, and capable of achieving more than they ever thought possible.

One of her favorite memories was organizing the first cooking club at her school called Sprout Scouts with a FoodCorps teacher. It was a rewarding experience to watch students get excited about learning in a hands-on way. During the club, kids learned how to cook simple recipes, explore new fruits and vegetables, and understand the importance of healthy eating and creating balanced meals. She builds on this idea by using the Adopt a Cow program and helping today’s generation understand where their food comes from.

What’s her favorite agriculture activity? “During a lesson for our cooking club, students learned how milk gets from the farm to our tables and explored different foods made from milk such as cheese, yogurt, and butter. We also talked about how dairy farmers care for their cows, what cows eat, and why dairy products are an important part of a balanced diet. The students loved making connections between the farms that produce our food and the meals we prepare in the kitchen.”

Meet Lindsey Brown

Lindsey Brown’s inspiration came from her own children, raising them on a hobby farm and watching them learn where food comes from. That’s what helped her decide to open Browns Family Childcare in Pennsylvania, a nature-based program where children could learn, grow and thrive outside. When her family had baby cows, families in her program would visit in the evenings so their children could bottle-feed the calves. Many years later, these families still talk about these experiences.

Lindsey also has a sharing station where anyone enrolled can take or leave seed packets, produce or other foods that are aplenty. They recently completed a fruit tree study where they taste-tested their own apple, peach and pears from trees on the farm.

What’s her favorite agriculture activity? “I implement all of the farm-to-school elements into my preschool and summer camp program because I believe children deserve these experiences. From local food procurement to growing our own foods, my program is proud to teach children plant and animal life cycles, where your food comes from and what it takes to grow it, supporting local and small businesses in our community, how ecosystems work, and most importantly, how to nourish your bodies with healthy foods.”

Meet Maria Young

Meet Maria Young, a fourth-grade teacher at Providence Elementary in Pennsylvania. As a child, Maria’s teachers encouraged her when she doubted herself, challenged her to think bigger, and gave her the confidence to believe she could do hard things. That’s when it clicked for her: teachers don’t just shape what students learn; they shape who students become. She realized she wanted to be that person for others. Maria’s favorite memory is hatching chicks in her classroom for the first time. She designed an entire embryology unit, and the anticipation was palpable—they had a countdown on the bulletin board, candled the eggs, and built excitement day after day. When those first chicks finally broke through their shells, the energy in the classroom was electric!

Growing up on a dairy farm, Maria is passionate about agriculture. She uses the Adopt a Cow and Discover Dairy programs to share share that passion with her students. Many of her students live in a rural community and see farms every day—but they don’t truly understand them. Discover Dairy has changed that and helped her students move beyond simply observing farms to genuinely understanding them: the science, the care, and the dedication involved.

What’s her favorite agriculture activity? “Every year, I eagerly anticipate our ‘Adopt a Calf’ program—it’s one of the highlights of my teaching year. We transform our hallway into a celebration of dairy farming: a vibrant bulletin board showcases stunning farm photography, tracks our calf’s growth month by month, and features memories from past years. What truly captivates my students is our hands-on exploration of cattle nutrition. I partner with a local feedmill to bring in different types of feed—hay, grain, supplements—so students can examine, touch, and discover what goes into nourishing a growing calf. It’s not just about learning facts; it’s about building a genuine connection to agriculture, to the animals we’re supporting, and to the real people and places behind our food.”

Meet Johnathon Dietrich

Meet Johnathon Dietrich, a first-grade teacher at John Campbell Primary in Wisconsin. Johnathon’s inspiration comes from the teachers who saw potential in him long before he could see it in himself. For him, the most impactful moments as a teacher are watching as students truly understand a new concept they are learning — when you see the lightbulb click above their head and they get so excited. Johnathon’s favorite memory is seeing his class grow into a secondary family. Some of his students might have rough lives, but the moment they get comfortable in the classroom and really settle in, their worries melt away.

The Adopt a Cow program has given his students lasting memories and helped them learn so much about dairy farming throughout the school year.

What’s his favorite agriculture activity? “Watching my students get excited to see the monthly calf updates is probably my favorite thing to come out of it because they genuinely light up when we flip through the videos and the pictures. They actively engage in wanting to learn more about our adopted calf, Dottie Moo. They have loved learning different roles that dairy farmers take on and hearing about how they take care of the cows on their farms.”

Meet Nina Gushka

Meet Nina Gushka, a first-grade teacher at Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. Nina goes above and beyond for her classroom. She is always finding new ways to keep learning engaging and fun for her students while still learning something new. She will always advocate for what is best for her students to ensure they have a successful future. She gets them gifts every holiday and is always loading a cart with snacks to give them so no child is hungry in her classroom. While this job challenges her every day in different ways, Nina always finds a solution to whatever problem is presented and goes in each day with a smile on her face.

What’s her impact? “Nina grew up around farms and has such a love for animals. She adopted a cow for her class and does weekly mini lessons on cows and farms using their adopted cow, Fudge, as motivation for the students.”

Meet Mrs. Lambrecht

Meet Mrs. Lambrecht, a third-grade teacher at Palo Verde Elementary in Arizona. She genuinely cares about getting kids prepared for a successful future. Mrs. Lambrecht goes above and beyond, volunteering to be a student’s teacher while the student was hospitalized with leukemia and giving up her prep hour for two years so that the student could stay with her class when she got better.

Mrs. Lambrecht does an amazing job preparing her students for the future and also does a great job highlighting the importance of dairies and agriculture.

What’s her impact? “My son tells me at least weekly about assignments that they do involving their classroom’s adopted calf, Rosie. They calculate how much feed she needs, do writing assignments about how the dairy takes care of the environment, and talk about jobs on the dairy. Lots of kids in Mrs. Lambrecht’s class have parents in agriculture and she is making them proud of the jobs their parents do.”

Meet Tyler Gentry

Meet Tyler Gentry, a “Vo-Ag” teacher for 7th through 12th graders at United Local Middle & High Schools in Ohio. Tyler is dedicated to the Vo-Ag program and shows constant support for his students. His entire curriculum is livestock husbandry. Students have their own hydroponic system where they grow their own vegetables, and he does an aquaponics system where students raise fish along with the vegetables to see how they interact. Tyler is also very active and spearheads United Local’s FFA chapter. He sets up local businesses to visit with students and educate them about their future career options in farming.

Tyler also makes time to give back, leading a community outreach effort every year to get families a turkey meal for the holidays who might not otherwise have one.

What’s his impact? “Tyler goes above and beyond to make sure every student understands the value of agriculture, leadership, and hard work. Whether it’s helping students prepare for FFA events, spending extra time after school, or encouraging everyone to do their best, Tyler always put his students first. His passion for agriculture and teaching inspires students to learn, grow, and become confident leaders. Because of his commitment, many students gain skills and experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

Meet Carter Nothaft

Carter Nothaft is a fourth-grade engineering and agriculture club teacher at BASIS Ahwatukee in Arizona. He is an incredible first-year teacher and primarily teaches Engineering to fourth graders on campus. Carter truly shows students what it means to care about the world and those around you. He also runs the Agriculture club on campus for fourth and fifth graders. This year, he went above and beyond and took the Adopt a Cow program to the next level. Most of his students have never had any sort of exposure to agriculture or farming practices. This has not only allowed them to learn more but to become more curious about everything around them.

What’s his impact? “Carter utilizes the Adopt a Cow program through Discover Dairy in both his classroom and with the Agriculture Club. He has taken this a step further this year by starting the first-ever campus garden and by hatching and raising chickens. He not only includes his own class and club, but has gotten the entire school involved as well.”

Meet Taylor Captain

Meet Taylor Captain, a fifth-grade teacher at Maplewood Intermediate in Wisconsin. One of the most unique and impactful aspects of Taylor’s teaching is her genuine passion for agriculture and animals. She brings this love into her classroom, helping students build an appreciation for farming, food systems, and where their food comes from. Over the past year, she has even begun raising her own chickens, further deepening her connection to agriculture and modeling lifelong learning for her students. Through the Adopt a Cow program, Taylor has created meaningful opportunities for students to explore various aspects of agriculture, including dairy farming, animal care, and the journey of food from farm to table. Her intentional planning and enthusiasm have made these lessons both educational and exciting, sparking genuine curiosity and interest among her students.

What’s her impact? “Taylor has made her adopted cow, Orange, a central focus of learning in her classroom this year through the Discover Dairy program. She has gone above and beyond by fully utilizing every resource the program provides, thoughtfully organizing and compiling them into individualized “cow notebooks” for each of her students. These notebooks guide students through weekly lessons and activities, allowing them to actively engage with and track their learning.”