Former English teacher Clara Adams now teaches agriculture and welding at Questa High School, as part of the schools’ programs to teach students practical skills and diversify the local economy into the future.
“I grew up on a farm; I̕m very passionate about farming,” Adams told the Questa del Rio News in a November 16 interview.

Agriculture, welding, and carpentry classes are based in a vocational building on the east side of the Questa schools campus. Adams and Spencer Warnock share the building with their respective classes.
“Learning how to work with your hands also keeps both the right brain and the left brain active,” said Adams. “Not only are the students learning practical skills, but it helps fight depression.”

Questa High School also partners with Future Farmers of America (FFA) and competes with other participating schools. The Questa Independent School District board approved a field trip for Adams̕ ag class to visit a greenhouse built on the campus of Alamosa High School; that field trip will be the furthest trip away from Questa thus far. The board is also in favor of Adams and her students building their own greenhouse next to the vocational building, with the intention of creating a direct food source for the school.

The FFA is a national organization, dedicated to agricultural education, with a three-pronged system: inquiry-based classroom learning, implementation-based experiential learning, and engagement-based leadership learning.

Ms. Adams can be reached at: cadams@questa.k12.nm.us. Utilize the school district contact page at their website for more contact info: https://bit.ly/3stVFg0.