PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
West Covina Unified School District
Anahi Velasco, Communications Specialist
(626) 939-4600 X 4635 | anahi.velasco@wcusd.org
Mobile Dairy Classroom visits California Elementary School
West Covina, Calif., Sept. 27, 2018 - California Elementary School students beamed with excitement when they saw cows revealed during a visit Wednesday morning from the Dairy Council of California’s Mobile Dairy Classroom.
The Mobile Dairy Classroom is an assembly program under the Dairy Council of California with a commitment to educate students on cow anatomy, dairy farming, agriculture and nutrition. The program sends an instructor with a background in agriculture and animal science, combining the assembly’s lessons with Common Core standards.
All California Elementary students had an opportunity to meet Efrain Valenzuela, manager of the Mobile Dairy Classroom, and two cows from a local dairy. Valenzuela started the assembly off by asking students about food groups and their daily eating habits. He talked about the importance of food literacy and the connection between dairy and other foods they generally consume.
Valenzuela asked them questions about farms and cows, leading up to the big reveal. When he lifted the side panel of the trailer, students jumped out of their seats to get a better view of the cow.
“This was exciting for all of us,” said California Elementary School teacher Mariah Cheng. “It's so wonderful that the Dairy Council provides this opportunity for our students to learn about dairy cows, and how they play a role in having a healthy lifestyle.”
Valenzuela moved on to teach them about the anatomy of a dairy cow and related it to a person’s body parts.
“Does a cow need to cut her fingernails?” he asked while pointing at the cow’s hooves. “In order to keep her hooves healthy, they need to be trimmed, just like you have to trim your fingernails.”
He also mentioned that cows use their tails to swat flies while people use their hand. Students laughed.
“What a wonderful and powerful learning experience for our kids! They learned about the anatomy of a dairy cow, the production of dairy products, agricultural technology and making healthy food choices,” school principal Lori Wilds said.
Students eagerly raised their hands and participated in the assembly, moving around in their chairs to get better views. They learned firsthand how milk and dairy foods get from the farm to the table, even seeing a live demonstration of how to milk a cow and seeing its’ calf.
By the end of the assembly, students were knowledgeable on how milk and dairy foods are produced, how they contribute to healthy eating, the role agriculture plays in the food supply, and the anatomy of a cow.
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