“My sister and I went to school here. When we were here, it was surrounded by cornfields,” Susan Deihs informed a class of eager fourth grade students.
Susan Deihs (left) and her sister Kathy Stice (right) teach Southeast Elementary 4th graders about Illinois ag products as part of Ag in the Classroom at the same school they attended as children.
Susan and her sister, Kathy Stice, gave Ag in the Classroom (AITC) presentations at Southeast Elementary School in Sycamore, the same school they attended as children. They grew up on a farm just down the road from that very classroom.
When the girls were in grade school, their parents, Tom and Joan Fenstermaker, became devoted AITC volunteers. Like their parents, Kathy of Sycamore said that her and her sister “love working with the kids and seeing them learn.”
“Because we grew up on a farm, we are very passionate, proud, and thankful for agriculture. Our parents taught us about farming and now we want to teach others,” said Susan, now of Woodstock.
This is the second year that Kathy and Susan have volunteered together. When asked if they plan to continue the family tradition Susan said, “Farm Bureau makes it so easy to share these presentations. We hope to do them for many years to come.”
Tom and Joan Fenstermaker (shown here in 1995) spent many years giving Ag in the Classroom presentations. Their daughters continue the tradition today.