Local teacher wins national agriculture award

A Houston County educator has received a national award for her agriculture instruction. Marla Garnto, Northside Elementary School music teacher, is among eight educators across the country to be honored with the National Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award.

The honor comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Agriculture in the Classroom organization. Garnto, who has been at Northside for seven years, was surprised with the award during a student assembly at her school Wednesday.

She regularly incorporates agriculture into her lessons and shows children how it relates to their daily lives. In December, Garnto was named the 2016 Georgia Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

Garnto will receive $500 and up to $1,500 to go to the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, in June.

This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 2:05 PM with the headline "Local teacher wins national agriculture award."