The Fundraising Society of the Rolling Hills School will receive a $5,000 donation thanks to area farmer Louise Virostek, the Alberta winner of Lallemand's 2025 Hometown Roots contest.
Virostek farms with her husband and two children near Rolling Hills and says she was both excited and grateful to be chosen as this year's provincial winner. She selected the school's fundraising society because of the unique agriculture program being built right where her children attend school.
"I chose to support the Fundraising Society of Rolling Hills School because our kids attend the school, and we've seen the incredible agriculture program they are building," says Virostek. "It means a lot to support a project that gives students hands-on experience with everything from livestock to markets while building knowledge and pride in agriculture. We're very appreciative of Lallemand for running a contest like this and supporting rural communities in such a meaningful way and are excited to see where this takes our students."
The school's program is designed to give students real-world agriculture experience, from caring for livestock to tracking markets and making investment decisions. A new barn is currently underway to house farm animals, and the initiative is already being integrated across classes, including science and math.