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In addition to competing in the Scurry County Junior Livestock Show, Snyder senior Whitley Anderson has brightened up the town a little bit thanks to her unique teaching program.
SNYDER – It wasn’t night, but the stars were out and their smiles were definitely big and bright.
Scully Stars, a program started by Snyder High School senior Whitley Anderson as a way for the district’s special needs students to participate in a stock show experience, is now in its third year.
“We heard that a neighboring county was doing this and thought it was a great idea, so we started it with high school students,” Whitley said. “But this year it progressed and we actually went from third grade to 12th grade. I could tell the kids really enjoyed it.”
The Scully County Junior Livestock Show was held from January 18th to 20th. On the first day, 32 special education students worked with general education students to participate in showmanship activities that took place during the chicken and rabbit competitions.
“I’ve seen two other programs, but none as large and as diverse,” Livestock Judge David Frazier said. “Most of them probably like pigs or something. This is the first time the kids have been to a place where they have chickens, sheep, goats and pigs.”
The bull was unable to participate in the program due to its size. But with all the options available, no one seemed to care.
“One of the boys a while ago didn’t like chickens or sheep,” Frazier recalled. “But he liked goats, and he liked pigs.”
Education as just a classroom
Frazier, a professor of agricultural education at Tarleton State University, serves as a judge at various livestock shows around the country. Later that afternoon, he was scheduled to judge a rabbit show at the Taylor County Livestock Show in Abilene.
But judging Snyder’s show is an annual homecoming for him. Frazier served as an agriculture teacher at Snyder High School for 15 years before retiring to pursue his Ph.D.
He said there was a similar program when he taught at Snyder, but it wasn’t on the same scope as Whitley’s efforts. Her program addresses the core of what he is learning in its purest form.
“For me, education is more than just the classroom,” he said. “Education is something that happens outside of the real world, and this is about as real a world as you can get. When you’re close to these animals, you understand what they’re for.” And you can just learn about them.”
bonding
Hayley Freeman, a special education teacher at Snyder High School, explained how Scully Stars gives everyday high school students an opportunity to interact with children.
“It’s about inclusivity and being able to do things with your peers that you wouldn’t normally be able to do outside of our program,” she said. From her experience, her students understand self-discipline, which is a core value of children at Stock Show, and perhaps they can learn it themselves.
“It’s not an experience they necessarily get on their own,” Freeman said.
For Whitley, that’s one of the biggest reasons she started the program. Another student has committed to take over Scully Stars after she graduates in May.
“I think it’s really important for general education students to be able to interact with special needs students,” Whitley said. “There was definitely a bond there. They made friends. I think that’s very special.”
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