ROBSTOWN, Texas — Students at the Nueces County Junior Livestock Show now have a dedicated quiet space to complete their schoolwork while caring for their animals, thanks to a new initiative by the NCJLS-Young Herdsmen organization.
The Study Shed provides a peaceful environment for students who don't get the school week off during the livestock show or any other students needing to focus on their studies. This allows them to manage their academic responsibilities with their animal care duties.
"It's a lot to balance all of it. It sounds daunting at first, but throughout the week, it just kind of slowly gets done, and I have a lot of time in between showing my pigs and doing queen stuff that I'm able to go to the study shed and catch up on some work,"
Lahla Hagedorn, a member of NCJLS-Young Herdsmen, said.
Hagedorn helped organize the study space along with other NCJLS-Young Herdsmen members. The group recognized the need for a quiet area because they have done the livestock show throughout the years.
"We spend plenty of time out here during the show week, and so we thought it'd be a perfect fit for those students who need that quiet space to get work done because it gets pretty loud and hectic in the barns, especially when shows are going on, announcements are being made," Hagedorn said.
For students like Praxedis Morgan, he understands that maintaining academic performance while participating in the livestock show can be stressful.
"I am very competitive with my GPA ranking and things like that, and I often fall behind every time I'm here at the NCJLS, not because it's a bad show or anything like that, just because I'm so busy taking care of my animals," Morgan said.
The study shed encourages students to stay on track academically while inspiring them to pursue a future in agriculture beyond graduation.
"I wanna major in AG business and minor in agricultural science. So I'm gonna continue the knowledge that I've learned from my animals showing care, my communication skills that I've just learned by being in the NCJLS," Morgan said.
This marks the first year for the study shed initiative, with organizers hoping to continue the program in future years.
"We're just hoping this can be a quiet place and a better place for kids to actually lock in on their work and be able to get it done," Hudson Weaver said.
The study shed will continue to be open until the end of the week, from 11 am to 4 pm.
For more information about the NCJLS Study Shed and the NCJLS-Young Herdsman, click here.
For more information about other NCJLS events, click here.
