Maze of maize: Metcalfe County corn maze

METCALFE COUNTY Ky. – Metcalfe County High School held their annual corn maze and hayride tour for about 600 elementary and middle school students in the Metcalfe County School District. The event is meant to allow students to engage with farming, biology and the Earth in a more direct way than they can in the classroom. It is also a way for the school to show all of the things that are offered by people living in Metcalfe County agriscience teacher Lynn Hawkins says. Everything from the farmers driving the tractors to the places that donated lunch and snacks are based in the county.

“Most students are three generations, probably four generations now removed from production, agriculture. And we live in a very rural area. And it is very important for students to understand where their food comes from and to at least have an appreciation for those people that are working every day to feed us.” Hawkins said.

The corn maze allows agriculture students, who have been working on projects to display those projects, but also to teach younger students about the importance of farming, especially at a time when both the county and the state need more farmers. The nature of the experieince also allows the students to get out of the classroom and learn about biology first hand says biology teacher Kelly Shaw.

“Experiential learning is always the best kind. And so our kids have been working on this for about a month, basically right at the start of school. For me, it’s just great to see kids learning in the classroom, but then being able to transfer it outside of the classroom and be able to teach younger people what they been doing in class and talking about plants and agriculture and just anything living.” Shaw said.

For the high schoolers who run the event it is almost a right of passage, junior Alyssa Williams is now in her third year as a maze guide, she is part of the agriscience program and plans to continue working on farming later in life.

“I’m actually in an aggressive class and agriculture is extremely important to me. And I’ve also always been really interested in teaching. So it’s really an honor to be able to work with the kids and I get so much joy from seeing them walk through the corn maze and all the education they get on different topics in agriculture and science.. Williams said.