ALIS' Zumwalt Named Illinois "Ag in the Classroom" Teacher of the Year

Altamont Lutheran Interparish School teacher Mary Zumwalt thought Wednesday's assembly was about Johnny Appleseed but, instead, it was all about her.

Zumwalt was honored as the Illinois Farm Bureau's Illinois "Ag in the Classroom" Teacher of the Year. The surprise celebration featured members of her family, Effingham County Farm Bureau Manager Julie Stephens, Effingham County's "Ag in the Classroom" Chairman Rachel Meinhart, Denise Willenborg from the Effingham County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Illinois "Ag in the Classroom" Chairman Kevin Daugherty. Effingham County Farm Bureau Directors Doug McCain, Tom Roepke and Dale Wachtel were also on hand.

Zumwalt, who has incorporated "Ag in the Classroom" in her teaching since the 1990s, said the program is designed to show the involvement of agriculture in everyone's life, not just those who live and work on the farm. She incorporates teaching about agriculture in each subject she shares with her fourth graders at ALIS. 

Zumwalt will formally receive her honor at the Illinois Farm Bureau Convention and will compete for national honors at the National Farm Bureau Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Mary said she is still active on the farm even while teaching, helping on the family farm along Dutch Lane, south of Effingham during busy times, including the coming fall harvest.

Here's a recording of the visit our Greg Sapp had Wednesday with Mary Zumwalt...