2024 Teacher of the Year: Amanda Stanko

The Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) program is pleased to announce the 2024 Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year, Amanda Stanko, of Corpus Christi Catholic School, Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois. Stanko will be recognized at the 2023 Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in Chicago and will receive a trip to the 2024 National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. She will also be the Illinois nominee for the USDA National Excellence in Teaching Agriculture Award.

As the STEM teacher at Corpus Christi, she works with over 275 K-6^th grade students challenging these non-ag students to think outside the box utilizing real world problems and solutions. Amanda’s lessons include everything from plant life cycles, to utilizing farm products daily, to growing a ‘Giving Garden’ to support the school cafeteria and local food bank.   Students learn at an appropriate level with Kindergartners making butter with their adopted cow, and 6^th graders testing and amending soil after each growing season. Her passion for integrating agriculture has led her to enroll in a Master of Agricultural Education program with the hope of providing an FFA chapter at her school in the future.