School Sets a New Standard in Agri-Technology Education
by SHAYLYNN MARKS
At a time when Florida agriculture faces unprecedented challenges like citrus greening, rapid population growth, and increased development — one Polk County high school is proving that the next generation of agricultural innovators may already be in the making.
Lake Gibson High School’s Agriscience and Biotechnology Academy, led by agricultural biotechnology teacher Paxton Evans, is redefining what an ag program can be. Far beyond the traditional classroom, students are practicing artificial insemination, learning embryo transfer protocols, working with CRISPR technology, studying aquaponics, and managing a brand-new student-built barn funded entirely by industry certifications.
“The agricultural biotechnology program is really what sets us apart … we are the only one in Polk County,” Evans explains.
Hands-On Learning Meets High-Level Science
On top of learning theory, students also work with real equipment and procedures used across Florida’s cattle, citrus, and biotech industries.
“I actually went and got artificial insemination certified so that I could really bring that home to my kids,” Evans says. “I have students who have gone to AI school, embryo transfer school… most of my cattle kids are using AI and embryo transfer in their own herds.”
In class, students practice first on a life-size reproductive tract simulator, using the same tools as professionals. Once mastered, they move on to real cattle anatomy and eventually to the school’s herd.
Hands-on learning extends well beyond animal science. With grant support from UF/IFAS and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the academy also runs a full aquaponics system and hydroponics chamber.
Evans says students compare crops grown traditionally, hydroponically, and aquaponically — seeing firsthand how biotechnology influences yield, size, and sustainability.
A Program Built by Students, for Students
One of the academy’s most impressive accomplishments stands just outside the classroom: a brand-new school barn. The structure was funded entirely by CAPE (Career and Professional Education) dollars earned when students passed industry certification exams.
The barn opened in October and now houses school cattle and student projects, marking a milestone for the academy.
Successes That Reach Far Beyond the Classroom
Now in her sixth year leading the agricultural biotechnology program, Evans is already seeing the long-term impact on students.
“I’ve got students at the University of Florida studying aerospace engineering, animal science, pre-vet, even students studying to be ag teachers,” she says. One former student now runs an app tracking red tide conditions for Florida beaches. “I’m just so proud of them.”
Many current students, she adds, come from non-agricultural backgrounds, but the academy shows them the wide world that exists beyond farming alone.
“They realize how many career options there are… that ag needs researchers, scientists, people solving issues like citrus greening,” Evans says. “Ag is more than just farming and ranching.”
Preparing the Workforce of Tomorrow
The academy’s advisory board helps ensure the program mirrors real-world needs. Board Chair Laura Lee Taylor, who also works in economic development, regularly connects the school with ag-tech companies, labs, and industry leaders.
Field trips expose students to careers ranging from citrus innovation to drone applications, ag robotics, and flavor modification technologies.
“Creating the workforce for tomorrow is going to be key,” Taylor says. “We’re seeing huge advancements in biotechnology… and with more people and less land, we’re going to have to have advancements in science and technology.”
Taylor’s own daughter transferred into Lake Gibson’s program to pursue its advanced reproductive technologies — proof, Taylor says, that the academy is preparing students for the future of Florida agriculture.
Heart Behind the Program
Behind every milestone stands Evans’ leadership — something both colleagues and advisory board members say has shaped the program’s success.
“She’s done a tremendous job… working on grants and highlighting the program,” Taylor says. “She’s had mentors and now she’s paying that forward.”
Her mother and Advisory Board Committee Member, Bonnie Evans, has watched that full-circle moment unfold.
“Paxton was the first student at Lake Gibson to take all four years of biotech and graduate with the certification,” she says. “To see her bring that program into agriculture and build it into what it is today — that’s a wow moment.”
Looking Ahead
Evans already has her eye on the future. Within five years, she hopes to offer students full artificial insemination and embryo transfer certifications on campus.
“I want a strong enough program that we can actually get these kids certified themselves,” she says.
Evans also reflected on the broader needs of Florida agriculture.
“We need these kids,” she says. “We need the science. We need the researchers — boots on the ground, solving the issues we have today.”
For Bonnie Evans, who has watched the school transform the past 25 years, the message is simple:
“The more information we put out and educate our community, the more they’ll understand what agriculture and biotechnology really are — and the impact they make on a global level.”