guidelines<\/a>, fourth grade students learn about scientific and engineering processes, some physics and scientific methods along with organisms and the environment.\u00a0<\/p>\nVisiting Burbank\u2019s student-run farm gives fourth graders a chance to make connections between what they\u2019re learning in classrooms and the real world, Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to offering potential career pathways to students, Parker said the agriculture program offers connections to the area\u2019s \u201curban lifestyle,\u201d showing students can be connected to agriculture even when living in or around downtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ag science offers several pathways<\/p>\n
Agriculture students at Burbank can pick from three pathways: animal sciences, plant sciences or welding. From the school\u2019s 1,400 enrollment, almost 340 high schoolers are in the program.<\/p>\n
Most of the foods Burbank students harvest \u2014 pumpkins, watermelon, broccoli, and cabbage, to name a few \u2014 are donated to the San Antonio Food Bank, others are sold at farmers\u2019 markets.<\/p>\n
Student projects reach far outside the Bexar County area, however.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So far this school year, more than 50 of Burbank\u2019s ag students have signed up to show livestock and welding projects at local and state fairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore, we would only show in Bexar County and San Antonio. But I said, \u2018if we have kids that want to show, why limit them?\u2019\u201d Parker said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Makayla Rodriguez, 14, shows rabbits and wants to be a veterinarian. A freshman, she enrolled at Burbank specifically for the ag program. When showing rabbits for competition, judges look at the animal\u2019s fur and skin color and overall shape, Makayla explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best ones would be killed for the best meat, that\u2019s how it is. Or breeding rabbits, they will find the best male or female to breed together,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ag-in-the-City_jn_014.jpg\")
Makayla Rodriguez, 14, gently pets a rabbit in a quiet moment during the Ag in the City event. Local fourth graders came to Burbank\u2019s five acre farm to learn about animal sciences, applied agricultural engineering, and plant sciences from high school students in the programs. Credit: Jo E. Norris for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
The high school students learn how to breed and care for several livestock animals, including pigs, chickens, goats, sheep and ducks. Parker was especially proud of the farm\u2019s Nigerian dwarf goats, due to give birth any day.<\/p>\n
Burbank\u2019s agriculture program offers a veterinary assistant certification, but the district is currently reevaluating the pathway based on updated state standards for industry-based certifications, Parker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucero Alvarado, a 15-year-old sophomore, talked the crowd through a welding demonstration. Inspired by her blue-collar dad, Lucero takes floral design and welding classes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to be like the son he never had,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucero wants to go to study law or business. If that doesn\u2019t work, she\u2019ll have welding skills to fall back on, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Parker said Burbank offers the AWS certification, and welding students learn almost all types of welding except underwater welding, because it\u2019s a very advanced level of welding.<\/p>\n
Welding students show their projects, too. Burbank plans to show trailers and other tools that students welded at the 2026 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Burbank also offers Texas Floral Level 1 certifications. Eventually, Parker hopes Burbank\u2019s floral program transforms into a fully functioning floral shop for the local community and SAISD.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve already been taking a few orders, but if it\u2019s completely student-run, they get those agribusiness pieces of it too,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And next year, Burbank will offer dual credit courses for college credit in all three agricultural pathways, expanding career and college opportunities for Parker\u2019s students.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One thing that probably won\u2019t change at Burbank\u2019s agriculture program is \u201cAg in the City.\u201d Parker said it leaves a lasting impression on the fourth graders and helps the high schoolers take ownership of their work on the farm.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the days after \u2018Ag in the City\u2019 that really matter \u2014 you see the impact that this makes, not just on the fourth graders, but on our high school kids \u2014 the leadership skills that they get,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nestled between Highway 90 and Monarch Highway, Burbank High School is surrounded by concrete and city in all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65830,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[34119,4042,82,84,13503,83,92,3028,34120],"class_list":["post-65829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-burbank-high-school","tag-saisd","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-isd","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-top-story","tag-typedaily","tag-urban-agriculture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Ag-in-the-City_jn_012.jpg\")
Franklin Elementary School fourth graders cover their noses as they explore the pig barn during the Ag in the City event at SAISD\u2019s Luther Burbank High School. Credit: Jo E. Norris for the San Antonio Report<\/p>\n