Sarah Rogers is new Agriculture Director

Campion Academy is excited to welcome Sarah Rogers as the new Agricultural Program Director. Thanks to a generous donor, this will be a full-time position, providing the time and resources needed to cultivate a flourishing garden that will serve both our students and the wider community through locally grown produce. 

Sarah is the wife of our incoming Chaplain Walter Rogers, and along with their four children, they hope to move to Campion and begin work at the beginning of July. 

Sarah’s background is in elementary education, and she graduated from Andrews University. Recently, she has been homeschooling her children, serving as Prayer Ministry Coordinator for the British Columbia Conference, and working alongside her husband in their mobile apologetics ministry. She has also written a book recently published by AdventSource: “The 10-day Psalms 91 Challenge.”

Sarah’s love for agriculture began as a teenager, when her family owned an orchard. She cared for the trees, and harvested and sold the fruit for her first work experience. Since then, she has continued to develop her green thumb with her large family garden plots. She shared that her garden always produced an abundance of food and not only was she able to fundraise by selling bumper crops with her family and friends, but also faithfully provide for their church’s community food bank. 

“I love growing and nurturing,” Sarah reflected. “I’m excited not only about the opportunity to grow food, but also to provide meaningful work experience and help feed students!” 

On a personal level, Sarah enjoys music, reading, crocheting, animals, and the outdoors. She also speaks Spanish and conversational Portuguese. 

Sarah will be teaching an Agriculture Science class and employing students in the work program throughout the year. They plan to begin immediately with growing microgreens indoors, and rebuilding the greenhouse to support hardy winter vegetables. 

Kaleb Leeper, Principal, elaborated on the goal of the reestablished program:

“The goal of the agriculture program is to provide an educational experience for our students through an additional class, Agriculture Science, expanding our work program, allowing for students to work on the land and in the greenhouse, and to provide fresh produce for the cafeteria. Our students benefit when they can play an active role in the helping with operations of the school and providing food for the cafeteria, enjoying the "fruits" of their labor from the garden. Another major goal in the department is to collaborate more with our RMC schools and churches through educational experiences, produce giveaways, market garden and other service-related opportunities.”

Leeper further explained the vital importance of agriculture in Adventist education: 

“Agriculture has long been a part of the DNA of Campion. Some of the first things planted on the Campion campus were berry bushes, and the academy benefited from the apples that were grown from Mr. Hankins' apple orchard across the street from campus. As an Advent movement, we have been given much counsel on the importance of having agriculture work at our schools, where students can work, interact, and learn from the principles of God's kingdom. These principles of cause and effect, patience, work ethic, etc., all contribute to the goal of right character formation in our students. 

“When a donor heard of the school's interest in starting an agriculture program, they came forward and offered to fund a full-time agriculture director, in perpetuity, and provide support for the program's needs in equipment and supplies. With such an offer like that, we felt that it was the Lord's leading and we could not pass it up! We give God all the glory for this opportunity for the school and for our students.”

Jill Harlow, Communication Director

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