KCSD school board member hosts Chiloquin students in his vegetable garden

Oct. 2, 2025 / For Chiloquin Elementary School third-graders, Wednesday’s classroom looked a little different. Instead of pencils and paper, their tools were their own hands — and their lesson plan included cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, corn, and pumpkins.

The students spent the afternoon digging, tugging, and pulling vegetables straight from the soil in the garden of Klamath County School Board member John Rademacher and his wife, Diane Haseman. For more than a decade, the couple has welcomed Chiloquin’s third-graders each fall, turning their garden into an outdoor classroom filled with curiosity, laughter, and the joy of harvest. For all photos: A HARVEST TO REMEMBER

“Pulling potatoes is like unearthing treasures,” Rademacher told the group as he demonstrated how to find the hidden crop.

The lesson quickly came to life. “Look, look at this one!” students shouted, holding up carrots and potatoes caked in soil. Others searched for round cucumbers or tugged at ears of ripe corn.

For some, it was a first-time experience. “Some of my students have never been to a farm before,” said third-grade teacher Jessica Lockrem-Plascencia. “They’re super excited. They are talking about cooking dinner and making salad and soup with their vegetables.”

Each child received a bag labeled with their name to collect their harvest. By the end of the afternoon, those bags were brimming with fresh produce — plus a handful of cherry tomatoes as a bonus.

The day ended the way a fall harvest should: with a hay ride, cocoa, and cider.

Rademacher, a retired educator and former principal of Chiloquin Junior/Senior High School, said he looks forward to the tradition each year. Serving on the KCSD board since 2007, he sees the annual visit as a way to stay connected to students and share the joys of rural life.

“It’s a simple thing, but it sticks with them,” he said. “I love watching their faces light up when they pull that first potato or ear of corn. That’s something they’ll always remember.”