Agricultural studies growing in popularity at Queensland school

Name: Agricultural studies growing in popularity at Queensland school
Uploaded: 2025-08-22T06:52:04+00:00
Duration: 2 min 16 s
Channel: ABC NEWS (Australia)
Description: Boonah High School is in a productive farming region in southeast Queensland, but until recently agricultural studies weren't a popular option. However, the keen agricultural science teacher and new principal have revived the subject and it's so popular that attendance levels are up. Students are also staying longer at school with others even moving school just to study the subject.

Skip to player Skip to main content

ABC NEWS (Australia)

1 year ago

Boonah High School is in a productive farming region in southeast Queensland, but until recently agricultural studies weren't a popular option. However, the keen agricultural science teacher and new principal have revived the subject and it's so popular that attendance levels are up. Students are also staying longer at school with others even moving school just to study the subject.

Category

📺

TV

Transcript

Display full video transcript

00:00Boona sits in the picturesque Scenic Rim region, about an hour's drive south of Brisbane.

00:11It's surrounded by agriculture, but until recently ag studies were a low priority at the local high school.

00:21That changed when Principal Dan Maroney arrived in 2023.

00:26He felt the school curriculum wasn't serving the community, so gave the green light for ag studies to be a priority.

00:35He wanted all students engaged, not just the third headed to uni.

00:40There's a whole other section of our kids there that want to know what's out there.

00:44They want to be able to stay in the community.

00:46They want to have opportunities and pathways and employment conduits.

00:50The way that we've been operating for a long time is probably not suitable for all kids, and I think we can do better.

01:00And parents couldn't be happier.

01:03He's transformed this school within two years.

01:06This is definitely a school that the decision and policy makers need to sit up and take notice on.

01:11This is a model that works.

01:13This is a community that is absolutely thriving.

01:17So you guys will be out over here.

01:19The focus is teaching subjects about, and connected, to agriculture.

01:24He's given us a licence to thrill, is his word, and he backs our decisions.

01:29If we want our kids to engage in agriculture, they need to be able to touch, feel, smell, and get the whole experience.

01:36Start right back, Ari.

01:37And then the way forward.

01:38Three years ago, ag teacher Aidan Richters started the transformation with Cattle Club.

01:44We had 10 or 15, and then it grew to 20, and they gave up their lunch times and sat in here and listened to me talk to them about cattle during their lunch.

01:53Cattle Club's been a way to pique their interest in studying all aspects of agriculture.

01:59The Cattle Club's definitely the hook, and it gets them interested in agriculture, and it breaks down some of that mindset of,

02:05I can still be involved in agriculture and not have a generational farm or any farming experience, and that's what we want.