Senior Year Only Program (SYOP)

Program

The Urban Agriculture Works Senior Year Only Program (UAW-SYOP) is a free program designed for qualifying high school seniors with an interest in Urban Agriculture with no prior exposure to CTE programs. This program prepares individuals to apply knowledge and skills in the agriculture field. Instruction will cover the basic skills in a variety of areas associated with agriculture such as agricultural business and production, forestry, agricultural mechanization, horticulture services, agriculture sciences, and/or conservation and renewable natural resources. Instruction includes, but is not limited to, computer science; plant, animal, and soil sciences; principles of ecology and resource management; forestry; hydrology; principles of electronics; blueprint reading; and, engine maintenance and repair.

The program will be housed at the Fox Chase Farm with experiential visits at various agricultural sites around the City of Philadelphia and surrounding counties. Students enrolled in UAW-SYOP will be at Fox Chase Farm (or other industry related sites) for the two full days each week and report to their home school for the three remaining days each week.

Students enrolled in UAW-SYOP will meet all of the requirements for graduation of the School District of Philadelphia inclusive of the senior project. All costs related to projects, resources (texts, etc.), certification fees, and transportation will be covered by the School District of Philadelphia.

Who is eligible to apply?

The UAW-SYOP Program is seeking applications from current 11th grade students enrolled in a School District of Philadelphia school. Current juniors must meet the criteria below to qualify for the program:

  • Must have 17.5 credits by the end of their junior year
  • Have an interest in Urban Agriculture

What to submit?

Students must submit the following information in order to be considered for the program:

  • Completed Application (Email Mandy Manna at mhilbert@philasd.org for an application.)
  • Student letter of interest

Next Steps

Students will be notified of the next steps via email inclusive of an interview.  Please ensure that you provide and email address that you can access.