More than 300 friends and supporters of Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom raised more than $40,000 for the program at the 12th annual Fall Harvest Dinner.

The event, which was Oct. 27 at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center in Albany, began with a silent auction and appetizers featuring local artisan cheeses, seafood and fresh produce. Guests were then treated to a meal made from local Oregon meats and produce.

This year's AITC Teacher of the Year was Dawn Alexander, a third-grade teacher from Tom McCall Elementary School in Redmond. The award is given to teachers who do an outstanding job of incorporating agriculture into their classroom curriculum.

"I am so fortunate to be able to share my passion for agriculture with my students and help them develop an awareness and understanding of how important agriculture is in their lives," Alexander said. "The materials teachers can borrow from AITC for free, the hand-on lessons, the 'Get Oregonized' books, and the donations by sponsors are amazing. I can integrate ag into all subject lessons and everything is tied to our state standards."

AITC is dedicated to teaching Oregon students K-12 about agriculture, the environment and natural resources. The program works with teachers, schools and educational groups in the state to provide accurate, standards-based lessons and resources. For the past three years AITC has reached over 100,000 students each school year.

AITC is a nonprofit organization. To learn more about the program and its many free educational resources visit http://aitc.oregonstate.edu or call 541-737-8629.