Scoring 50/50, the school was awarded a prize of $2,000.

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Students completed a suite of learning resources including worksheets, learning journals, games and quizzes, and decorating an almost life-size fibreglass cow to demonstrate their newly acquired understanding of the farm-to-plate process. 

The program is aligned to the agriculture syllabus and was partly conducted on the school’s farm.

“The students chose the farm-to-plate theme, giving them a solid understanding of the process that dairy products undertake to make it from the cow to the final product, and also the wide range of dairy products that are available,” CHHS Science, Agriculture and Marine Studies teacher Amanda Joyce told News Of The Area.

“For some of the students it was a steep learning curve as they had never really thought about or been taught about the dairy industry before.

“This program has allowed the students to gain a much better insight into the farm-to-plate concept for dairy products.”

The students threw themselves into the process and experienced a range of learning styles.

Some students excelled during the research stage, others the design process, and others in the painting of the cow.

“The students were engaged and enthusiastic, and they worked very hard under a tight time limit and schedule to deliver an amazing end product,” Ms Joyce said.

Involving the whole school in the naming of the cow, more than 60 students submitted suggestions, with ‘Moona Lisa’ coming out tops.

Year 10 Agriculture student Alexandra Strainic told NOTA, “The Picasso Cows [program] has been an amazing experience and a fantastic activity to engage in through agriculture.

“The process of designing, sketching, painting, and finalising had been a long process, but the nearing deadline pushed our creative abilities to new heights and increased our capability to work in a fast-moving but careful environment.”

Year 9 Agriculture student Vincent Auld told NOTA, “While doing the Picasso Cow I learnt about the process in which the milk goes from cow to store and all the products it goes into and how big an industry it is.”

Year 9 Agriculture student Bree Loxley told NOTA, “Throughout the Picasso Cow project we learnt about the production of dairy products from start to finish.

“This was a fun and educational experience.”

Students were supported by the school’s Farm Assistant Grant Roder, and Science Lab Assistant Charie King. “Both assisted enormously in gaining the painting materials required and organising the instalment and care of our Moona Lisa at the school farm,” said Ms Joyce.

This year’s Picasso Cows program was made possible by Rex James Stockfeed and the Gardiner Foundation.

By Andrea FERRARI