Despite what hate mongers might say about MPS and about Vincent High School specifically, there are great things happening a Vincent School of Agricultural Sciences, which raises chickens and has dairy cows, among other things.
The program, which gives students hands-on experience in animal science, horticulture, environmental systems and food science, is the city's only agricultural program, and the school is most likely the only one with cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, pigs and a horse (though the photo below, taken at Bay View's Trowbridge Street School, suggests cows once grazed around at least one other!)
According to Principal Daryl Burns Sr., while there are other high schools in the state with agriculture programs, Vincent is the only one with an ag focus. All students are exposed to agriculture-related programming at the school.
Vincent hosted a taste test on Thursday, and some local "celebrities" like myself, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee’s Tarik Moody, "Wisconsin Foodie" host Kyle Cherek, Pabst Riverside Chef Kevin Sloan and Milwaukee Record’s Tyler Mass – along with Principal Burns – judged deviled eggs made by students.
The competitors used eggs from the program’s 25 laying chickens – Americana, Buff Orpington, Production Red, Leghorn, Sliver Wyandotte and Barred Plymouth Rock breeds that lay eggs that are white, green, blue, pink and various shades of brown.
Before the event we got a tour of the Vincent program’s barn, where students showed us the chickens and talked about their work. The chickens, they said, lay about one egg a day, though the yield is dependent on weather and other factors.
You can tell which color eggs a chicken will lay by looking at its ear lobe. Who knew?
All of this was a means to help spread the word about the Vincent High School of Agricultural Sciences’ first "Growing to our Full Potential! Farm to Table Fundraiser," which takes place Thursday, Sept. 20 from 6 until 8 p.m. at the school, 7501 N. Granville Rd.
The winning deviled egg flavor – the options were Hot Stuff, Horse Kickin', Curry Slider, Cream Popper, Veggie Dip and Bacon Cheddar and all were delicious though I thought the first two were best – from today's tasting will be added to the event menu. (The winners were not yet tallied when I left.)
Tickets are $25 per person and will include appetizers prepared by the students from locally raised ingredients, as well as tours of the barn and details on how the program works, what it offers students and what’s planned for the future.
You can learn more about the fundraiser here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
