J.D. POTIÉ
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Dec. 13, 2019
Heritage College’s Pontiac Campus in Campbell’s Bay was packed on Friday, as around . . .
30 local residents gathered for a holiday luncheon and to recognize two students for their outstanding commitment and perseverance in the school’s agriculture education programs.
Presented by the campus’ manager Greg Graham and its Director General Gordon McIvor, the event celebrated the achievements of Shawville-native Jennifer McCagg and Ellen Rice-Hogan from Venosta, who have both completed two out of three attestations from the campus’ agriculture studies program and are in the midst of completing the third and final one.
After a brief period of socializing, McIvor opened the event with a word of welcome where he thanked everyone for attending the ceremony.
He spoke about his origin in the field of education and brought up the significance of the countless sacrifices that students make to be able to attend college, before wishing everyone a happy new year.
Graham followed up with a speech of his own where he read brief stories about each of the laureates before announcing their names and presenting them with certificates.
After earning full marks in Cattle Production Management, as well as Agritourism and Diversified Productions, McCagg and Rice-Hogan are currently undertaking Management of the Farm Enterprise.
After receiving her award, McCagg said she was very surprised to have received the honour and that she was very pleased to have been recognized by the school.
“It feels like I’ve accomplished a lot,” she said.
With plans of starting her own sheep and beef cattle farm by the beginning of next year, McCagg said her experience at Heritage will be very beneficial for her career, noting that it really opened her eyes to the world of finance and how important managing it is to operating a business.
“It helps because now I’ll have resources in order to build my business,” she said. “This year really focused on finances and stuff like that and I’m not very good with numbers. But they’re making me good with numbers.”
“I think one of the most important parts of coming here to receive this education is to learn something that you’re not comfortable with that will help you with your business,” she added. “For me it’s finances for sure.”
According to Graham, who said he loves to celebrate his students every chance he gets, the event was an opportunity for the school to shine light on McCagg and Rice-Hogan’s momentous accomplishment and to recognize the hard work they had been doing while no one was watching.
“It’s not easy doing these Agriculture Education Classes,” he said. “To do the three of them, it’s a big deal. We’ve got many people in the region who have graduated and done it. But it’s a lot of effort, a lot of time and a lot of money that they have to sacrifice to do it. Because they’re not kids, they’re adults. So, they’re on their own, they’ve got bills to pay. A lot of them have families to take care of. It’s a lot of work.”
For Graham, seeing the two students be recognized was a very proud moment as an educator. Having seen the put forth so many positive strides in their careers over the last couple of years, Graham noted just how much they had grown in their time at the school and how excited he is to see them move on with their lives.
“I got to meet them when they first showed up … you really get to see change, as they learn these skills and then they start working in the industry and making contacts,” he said.
“They’re the future of agriculture out here,” he added. “It’s amazing to see, especially these two young women who are getting ready to take that next huge step in their careers.”
Following the ceremony, attendees stuck around to socialize and indulge in a tasty holiday meal.
