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Story written by Caelan Keenan, Food Security VISTA with Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and featured in VYCC’s newsletter.
The moment Winooski High School students hop off the bus at The Farm at VYCC is hard to describe but easy to feel. Their fervor for growing, exploring, and being together infuses the entire campus, and lights up The Farm for what it is: a true center for education.
“I learned that the outside is my new classroom,” said Ledonia Taylor. She is one of twenty Winooski High School interns on the Farm at VYCC.
New this year, students can earn science credit. For many, this is a chance to learn and succeed outside of the classroom. Nancy Keller of Winooski High School, summarizes the program this way:
“[Students] learn about the basics of agriculture and food science by planting and raising crops, caring for animals, and cooking food. These practical experiences provide the foundation for understanding key science concepts, such as the flow of energy and matter in organisms and ecosystems. However, the Food and Farm Program at VYCC is more than learning science. It is also about building community–being with friends, meeting other people, and sharing food.”
Students’ field work is matched with reflective journaling and observant note taking. It isn’t uncommon to find students standing at the foot of a vegetable bed scribbling planting information, or paused in front of the hen house taking notes.
“Planting is my favorite job,” writes a student in her journal. “I feel like I have a happy life when I am planting. It is fun to be here. The mentors are nice and I also learn how to cook other cultures’ foods, and I have a time to share my culture’s food, too. I can practice my writing, and this helps me a lot with my English. I think it is great being here…My favorite job is to work with natural things. When I am outdoors, I feel so good.”
Each week, a small group of students prepares a fresh snack for their peers. Their work in the kitchen culminates with a large community meal on “Share It Fridays” in the West Monitor Barn. Students design and execute the menu – often preparing their family’s cultural dishes with produce and poultry from the farm. Share It Fridays are a time to celebrate the week’s work, discuss scientific observations, and recount lessons learned.
Every student who participates in The Farm at VYCC program will receive a weekly share of vegetables and poultry this summer. The Share begins long after school is over. Imagine the smiles and understanding, then, when students finally see and taste the vegetables they seeded, transplanted, and cared for months earlier.