WHS/BNS Animal Science students attend Dr. Temple Grandin's 'Animals Make Us Human' seminar in Kearney
Aug. 24 event, featuring renowned CSU professor & national autism spokesperson, sponsored by Kids & Dreams Foundation
Launch the media gallery 1 player"I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life, and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animals respect." --Dr. Temple Grandin
On Friday, August 24, students enrolled in the Bishop Neumann/Wahoo High School Animal Science class traveled to Kearney to meet with and listen to Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, and national autism spokesperson. In addition to discussing humane ways to work with livestock in today’s agricultural world, she also enlightened her listeners with information about her autism.
The event, sponsored by the Kids & Dreams Foundation, was held at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds.
According to her website https://www.templegrandin.com/templehome.html, 50 percent of all cattle bought, sold or processed in the United States today are handled in facilities that she has designed.
Wahoo High School junior Joe Scanlon was impressed with Grandin’s insights: “I didn’t know that an animal forms an impression when it comes into contact with a human for the first time. That impression can be positive or negative, depending upon the interaction. That first impression sets the tone for the relationship between the animal and that human forever.”
Grandin is in high demand as a speaker and an author. According to her website, she has been featured on high profile programs such as 60 Minutes and NPR. She has also appeared in Time magazine, the New York Times and on HBO. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
She impressed Wahoo High School senior Emma Thrasher.
“It is amazing to think that she hasn’t looked at her autism as a disability," Thrasher commented. "Instead, she realized that her autism provided her with a unique insight into animals that others didn’t have. She hasn’t allowed her uniqueness to hold her back. I could tell that she wasn’t comfortable talking to our large group, but she knew that she had an important message that needed to be shared.”
Starting in the 2017-2018 school year, Bishop Neumann and Wahoo High Schools began a joint venture in agricultural education. WHS students interested in the Introduction to Agriculture and Animal Science classes travel to Bishop Neumann teacher Katie Arp’s classroom each day for instruction. Students enrolled in the agriculture classes are eligible to participate in the Bishop Neumann High School’s Future Farmers of America chapter as well.