Classical Roots: Agriculture Education at Independence Classical Academy, Fort Pierce, FL

In this episode, we sit down with Brooke Holcomb, the dynamic voice behind media and marketing at Independence Classical Academy, a public charter school in Fort Pierce, Florida. With plans to grow from a current K–9 school of 650 students to a full K–12 campus serving over 1,500, Brooke shares how agriculture and outdoor learning are deeply rooted in the school’s classical education model.

We explore:

• 📚 What a classical education really looks like—no tablets, no distractions—just deep, meaningful learning.

• 🌱 How school gardens, pollinator habitats, and hands-on ag classes are teaching kids practical life skills.

• 🐄 The exciting plans to build an animal barn as part of the high school expansion, giving students a chance to raise and possibly show livestock.

• 💧 Future goals like aquaculture programs, an FFA chapter, and even entrepreneurial opportunities for students to sell their garden produce.

• 💡 The vision for after-school ag clubs and experiential learning that connects kids to nature and to their food.

• 💰 The challenges of funding and how the school is creatively tackling resource limitations.

Brooke also shares her personal ties to agriculture—having married into a multigenerational family rooted in citrus, cattle, and timber, and now raising a sixth-generation ranch kid on their 40-acre property where they keep a small herd of cattle.