BK Science Teacher Amour Beals Completes National Science Leadership Program

September 6, 2024

Ms. Beals was one of 38 hand-selected elite science educators invited to participate in the Teacher Leader Community program from the Nourish the Future initiative.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2024: An elite group of hand-selected science educators from across the country recently culminated their year-long leadership program at Bayer Crop Science in Chesterfield, MO–, including Amour Beals of Bishop Kelley High School.


Nourish the Future is a national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiative connecting students to modern agriculture. Its mission is to help teachers inspire their students to learn science, solve problems, and see the possibilities of careers in agriculture.


Beals was selected as one of 38 educators to participate in the Teacher Leader Community program from Nourish the Future. Industry partners like the United Soybean Board and the National Corn Growers Association fund the program to help farmers educate the public on modern farming and the science behind their practices.


The culminating Capstone Conference event in the St. Louis area included guided tours, curriculum activities, and an expert panel discussion. Attendees engaged with Bayer representatives and learned more about their initiatives in education and innovation.


“My ah-ha moment has been seeing the sheer amount of technology that's in agriculture. Kids don't realize the extent of it. I’d love to show them the drones, 3D printers, automated irrigation systems, and other technological tools in agriculture,” shared Beals.


Director of Education Gary Abud, Jr. summed up the importance of connecting the agriculture industry to the classroom: “effective STEM teaching requires real-world context, which students and teachers find accessible in agriculture.”


In addition to unique collaboration with industry experts from companies like Bayer, Beals’ involvement in the program focused on leadership and curriculum development skills.


“Learning science through agriculture inspires students to pursue critical scientific careers—many of which are currently going unfilled in the agriculture industry,” added Abud, Jr.


Upon completion, teacher leaders will go on to equip fellow educators with engaging lessons that teach mainstream science skills and concepts through agriculture, in an effort to promote students’ pursuit of scientific careers to feed and fuel future generations.


“By bringing back what she learned at the Capstone Conference, Amour Beals is unlocking hands-on, contextual science that’s highly relevant to anyone who eats. More students deserve the opportunity to learn science through agriculture.”


“Agriculture is important for students to learn about because agriculture is all around them. Even if you live in the middle of the city, your food has to come from somewhere. It's really important that our students know where their food comes from,” explained Jennifer Jones, a Nourish the Future coach and Nebraska science educator.


“The population of the world is getting bigger every day and it's a challenge our students will have to encounter at some point. Agriculture is one of the solutions.”

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ABOUT NOURISH THE FUTURE


Nourish the Future is a national education initiative developed by science teachers for science teachers, connecting students to modern agriculture. The mission of Nourish the Future is to help teachers inspire their students– not only to learn science and solve problems– but to see the possibilities of STEM careers in agriculture.


Nourish the Future participants:

  • receive curriculum and free supplies to implement the lessons
  • work with a supportive network of leading-edge science teachers
  • connect with local farmers, food scientists, agronomists, technologists, researchers, and other agriculture experts


Nourish the Future's website provides free, standards-aligned lesson plans and curriculum for classrooms around the country.


Teachers interested in the leadership program can visit the Teacher Leader Community page.


The program is generously sponsored by the United Soybean Board and the National Corn Growers Association, with local support provided by state agriculture and education groups.


For more information, visit nourishthefuture.org.


Contact: connect@nourishthefuture.org


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November 17, 2025
This past summer, God blessed me with the incredible opportunity to go on the Campus Ministry mission trip to Nashville, Tennessee. Going into the trip, I had no idea what to expect. When we arrived in Nashville, I was placed in a group of people I had never met before. We were all from different states, with completely different backgrounds. This was definitely a little bit outside of my comfort zone. But, from that very first day, I realized that God had put me in that group for a reason. We quickly grew close through working together and commuting on the hour drive to our work site, praying and sharing stories of faith on the drive. Our service project assignment was repairing a house for a woman named Lavern. There, we repaired and painted her shutters, front door, and porch. We cleaned her gutters, organized and got rid of unnecessary things in her shed, chopped down bushes and trees, trimmed overgrowth, and even did some drywall repair inside of her house. She was one of the kindest people I have ever met - so full of gratitude and joy, even in difficult circumstances. Every morning when we showed up to work, she greeted us with a smile and words of encouragement. Seeing her faith and positivity really opened my eyes to how powerful gratitude can be. Throughout the week, we had Mass every single morning. Starting my morning with Mass made my days full of joy and gratitude. We also had different activities at night, such as Eucharistic Adoration and confession. I had no idea how much these moments of prayer would affect me, but they did significantly. I had never truly experienced God in the way I did the evening of Adoration. Sitting in Adoration with everyone quietly singing and taking time just to be still with God was one of the most peaceful and powerful experiences I have ever had. There was also a woman who gave us a talk every evening. Her talks helped us to reflect on our faith and our purpose. Her words helped me to think more deeply about how God is present not just in the big events, like the Mission Trip, but in every single part of my life, the good and the bad, the joys and sorrows, and the wins and the losses. As the week started to end, I felt closer to God than I ever had before. And even though my air mattress deflated every single night and the showers were absolutely freezing, this trip reminded me that faith is not just something that we practice on Sundays, it is something that we live out through service, community, and love for others every single day. It showed me that when we step outside of our comfort zones and open our hearts, God meets us there and transforms us in ways that we would have never imagined. This Mission Trip did not just change the house that we worked on, it changed me. It deepened my faith, strengthened my trust in God, and helped me see how powerful it can be when we serve others with joy and humility. I would like to leave you all with one thing: At the end of the week, Lavern wrote me a letter. When I opened it, it read, “Write the vision and make it plain.” Now, if I am being honest, when I first read this, I was super confused, so I looked it up. What I found was amazing. This is a Bible Verse, Habakkuk 2:2, that means writing down your vision is a way to show God that you believe He will help you accomplish what He has called you to do. So BK, write the vision, and make it plain .
October 23, 2025
Click here for 2025-2026 Q1 A Honor Roll Click here for 2025-2026 Q1 B Honor Roll Stellar work, Comets!