Education Impact

New Podcast Series: Farm to School Northeast

Sarah — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:06:06 +0000

New Podcast Series: Farm to School Northeast Sarah Fri, 12/06/2024 - 17:06

As part of our food system education work, we facilitate the Northeast Farm to School Collaborative, an active group of innovators working within their states and regionally to advance farm to school through networking, peer sharing, collaborative projects, policy, and convenings.

The Collaborative has launched a podcast exploring the creative ways that local food is getting into school cafeterias and how food system education is playing out in classrooms and school gardens across the Northeast.

But, what exactly is farm to school? It’s a big concept. To find a common thread, podcast creator Dinah Mack asked eight people working in the movement to share their definitions. Among the interviewees are Betsy Rosenbluth and Dana Hudson, two longtime Vermont farm to school champions.

Read on for excerpts from Dana and Betsy, and listen to the full episode below:

New episodes will be released monthly. Learn more and tune in wherever you listen to podcasts.

Betsy Rosenbluth, Co-Director, Vermont FEED & Farm to School Director, Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools

"I describe farm to school as “making food real.” It's connecting students to where food comes from, and what it does for them: for their bodies, their communities, and their local economies. And through farm to school, they know how to grow and cook food, and what happens to waste; they know the food on their plate is tied to energy, poverty, land, water, social justice, and so many other global issues."

Dana Hudson, Coordinator, Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network

"I’ve always felt that the term “farm to school” isn't the right term, but it's the best term we have. It casts a wide net, and everyone's here for different reasons. Someone might be here because they really care about children's nutrition. Someone else is here because they worry about farm viability. There are people that are here because they were hungry as children, and they want to make sure other people aren't hungry. There are people here that are more concerned about climate and sustainability.

Farm to school really is the most powerful beginning to changing the food system as a whole. I really believe that farm to school is the path forward to really rectify a lot of the broken elements of our food system."

Sarah Webb

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Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

In celebration of National Farm to School Month, U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts visit Montpelier High School to see their food systems education firsthand.

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December 6, 2024

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What We Can Learn from the Gulf of Maine

aestey — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 20:50:50 +0000

What We Can Learn from the Gulf of Maine aestey Mon, 12/02/2024 - 15:50

Teachers visit an ocean aquaculture station. Maine’s fishing industry, once reliant on lobsters, is being forced to diversify; lobsters may be all but gone from these waters in the coming decades as a result of climate change. Aquaculture farms like this one are experimenting with growing more resilient crops like scallops, oysters, and kelp. (Photos and video: Andrea Estey)

The waters off the coast of Maine, infamous for being bracingly, breathtakingly cold, are telling a new story these days: They’re warming at an alarming rate.

The Gulf of Maine — a large swath of the Atlantic Ocean that extends from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia — is warming faster than 99 percent of the world’s oceans. There are other changes at work in these waters, too: the same emissions contributing to warming have also made the ocean more acidic. As a result of these collective stresses, the region is seeing rapid ecological shifts, including a declining lobster population.

Land and sea are, in many ways, two interconnected systems. What happens in the ocean impacts life on land, even far inland; warmer waters act as fuel for more intense storms like Hurricane Helene, for example. This fall, teachers in Shelburne Farms’ Climate Resiliency Fellowship traveled to Maine’s Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership to see the changing waters firsthand, and to learn about the adaptation strategies already underway in maritime communities.

Throughout this year-long climate fellowship program, 16 teachers from around the Northeast are deepening their expertise in teaching about climate change, climate solutions, and in connecting students to place. Shelburne Farms staff educators Aimee Arandia Østensen and Emily Schaller facilitate the journey.

“When people think about taking action, whether it’s for climate, sustainability, or justice, they tend to move too quickly toward action, skipping that step of relationship-building to people and systems,” explains Aimee. “By spending three days in retreat on Hurricane Island, we begin to build a relationship with an ocean that is changing dramatically as a result of human actions, and deepen our understanding of what is needed.”

Andrea Estey

Aboard Hurricane Island's research vessel, educators learned about lobstering today, and considered what it might look like tomorrow.
Andrea Estey

A surprise sighting of the Northern Lights over Hurricane Island.
Andrea Estey

Educators took a walking tour of the island's systems for power, water, and waste.
Andrea Estey

The retreat included art-making as a way of reading the landscape with Judy Dow, pictured on left.
Andrea Estey

An educator's finished "storybasket" showing the surrounding landscape.

The retreat included a trip to a floating aquaculture farm; art-making as a way of reading the landscape with Judy Dow, an artist, educator, and historian of French Canadian and Abenaki descent; and a tour of the island’s systems for solar power generation, compost, and fresh water collection. “Being here on an island that’s ten miles off the coast, it brings all of the systems into focus that are otherwise easy to ignore in everyday life when you’re not in such an intimate setting,” says Gretel St. Lawrence, Hurricane Island’s garden educator and a graduate of the University of Vermont/Shelburne Farms Place-Based Education Certificate program.

Liza, an English teacher from New Jersey and current climate fellow, shares, “It was inspiring to experience living in a sustainable community and to be exposed to a different mindset of what a sustainable future might look like.” The retreat has already influenced activities in her classroom: “Students made artwork out of recycled materials and wrote artists’ statements explaining the environmental and personal significance of their creations.”

We don’t know what shifts may come in federal education or climate policies in the years ahead. But we do know that the scientific evidence for climate change is clear — and the vital work of preparing students for an uncertain future must continue.

For more on what’s happening in the Gulf of Maine, read the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s Annual Warming Update.

Andrea Estey

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Oyster Reefs as a Climate Change Adaptation

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December 2, 2024

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Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

Sarah — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 13:31:34 +0000

Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience Sarah Wed, 10/23/2024 - 09:31

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts, Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools Farm to School Director Betsy Rosenbluth, and U.S. Senator Peter Welch join Montpelier High School students for a local lunch. Photo by Sarah Webb

“What’s so inspiring to me is you’re solving big challenges by creating a local agricultural economy and a cleaner, more sustainable environment. It takes work, it takes effort. It takes more than just saying you want a solution—we all do—it’s about doing it.” –U.S. Senator Peter Welch

In celebration of National Farm to School Month, U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts visited Montpelier High School (MHS) to see the farm to school program firsthand and understand how the school integrates food systems education throughout the curriculum and school meals. The event was organized by the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network, of which we are a member.

Sarah Webb

Students show Senator Welch the greenhouse where lettuces are being grown for the school cafeteria salad bar.
Sarah Webb

U.S. Senator Peter Welch and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts share remarks following the student tour.

MHS students toured the Senator and Secretary through the greenhouse and gardens, pointing out the colorful greens destined for the cafeteria salad bar; ripening peppers students will cook down into hot sauce and bottle for sale; and abundant beds of kale, squash, herbs, and more for the student-run crêpe cart business, which raises money for student travel scholarships.

“We run the crêpe cart at the Capitol City Farmers’ Market,” explained Student Manager of the cart, Veda Gahagan. “We source most ingredients from our school gardens and the market itself.” Students learn all aspects of a small business, including budgeting, foodservice, marketing, and cooking. “I met a lot of farmers, and I know where all the ingredients are coming from,” shares Veda. “It’s special meeting so many members of this community, and I feel connected to Montpelier and Vermont.”

French teacher Brigitte Savard and students prepare lunch in the crêpe cart, a student-run operation that raises funds for student travel scholarships. Photo by Sarah Webb.

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbetts shared his admiration for the students’ work, “They’re learning how to take the food they grow, make it into a product, sell it, make a business plan, and develop relationships.”

The MHS farm to school efforts have not been without challenges, including recent flooding that devastated their gardens and infrastructure, but the teachers and students worked through the obstacles. “Food systems are complex, and that brings in rigor, constant critical thinking, and problem solving,” explains educator Tom Sabo. “When things go wrong here, it is an educational opportunity, a whole new lesson plan.”

“Everything that we saw here, the students did,” Senator Welch remarked following the tour. “The environmental champions in our society are the young people. And Montpelier students are showing us that it isn't just about advocating and having the expectation that someone else will solve a big problem. It’s about taking on the responsibility yourself.”

Every student participates in farm to school at some point during their time at MHS. Whether it’s working in the greenhouse, keeping bees, making and selling value-added products, tending to the school’s flock of chickens, taking culinary skill-building classes, or maintaining the pick-your-own community food security garden, students have ample opportunities to explore sustainable food systems.

MHS student Sam Boyce presents student-made hot sauce and honey to guests Senator Welch and Secretary Tebbetts. Photo by Sarah Webb.

“The Food, Farm, and Society class has really helped me to understand what a food system actually is and how everyone contributes to it,” student Sam Boyce shared. “And, being able to work in the gardens has taught me a lot of life experiences, especially because it was technically the first job that I’ve ever had.”

The benefits run deep; students may not always be interested in farming as a career, but they value a local agricultural economy. “We create educated consumers,” Tom Sabo continues. “Consumers that understand that the price tag isn't the only cost associated with the food we buy. Consumers that are willing to pay a fair price for food that benefits the environment, local farmers, and the local economy.”

Vermont schools spend 20 million dollars annually on school food, and the farm to school movement is working to include more farmers in that economic opportunity. The Vermont Agency of Education’s Local Food Incentives program and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets’ farm to school grant programs have supported the expansion of Vermont products served in Vermont schools. “Now, we have over 100 Vermont farmers and producers selling to school meal and early childhood programs,” shared Network Coordinator Dana Hudson.

Following the tour, the teachers and students sat down with the Senator and Secretary for lunch in the cafeteria. On the menu: fresh-off-the-griddle, student-made buckwheat crêpes with local tomato, pesto, and mozzarella.

“[The Vermont delegation in Washington] is proud of Vermont’s Farm to School program and Universal School Meal program. The implementation is what you’re doing here, and you’re seeing the benefits,” noted Welch. “Montpelier High School is such an inspiration. If my colleagues and I could learn these lessons of cooperation and effort, I think we’d be better off not just in Montpelier, but all around the country.”

Montpelier is an alumni of the Northeast Farm to School Institute, a program of Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools and NOFA-VT, and was recently awarded a Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets grant to support the purchase of a new food trailer to expand their culinary entrepreneurship offerings.

Watch event coverage from My Champlain Valley

Learn more about the statewide programs supporting schools and early childhood programs in deepening student connections to local food systems:

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, & Markets (VAAFM) Farm to School & Early Childhood Capacity Building Grant provides financial and technical assistance to schools or early childhood education organizations looking to develop or expand their farm to school programs. Application due November 14.
The VAAFM Farm to Institution Market Development Grant supports market development opportunities for local food producers and processors, with a focus on Vermont institutional markets. Application due October 23.
The VAAFM Farm to School and Early Childhood Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Grant reimburses early childhood education providers and after school programs for the cost of a CSA share. Applications open in early 2025.
The VAAFM Farm to School and Early Childhood Vision Grant supports innovative projects that engage youth in addressing contemporary problems through farm to school and early childhood activities. Applications open March 2025.
The Vermont Agency of Education Local Foods Incentive Grant provides a financial incentive to school districts and supervisory unions that meet local purchasing targets in their school meal programs. Application due December 9.
Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools and NOFA-VT’s Northeast Farm to School Institute, a unique year-long professional learning opportunity for selected school, district, or early childhood teams from New England and New York. Applications open later this year.
The USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program supports launching new farm to school programs or expanding existing efforts.

Sarah Webb

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October 23, 2024

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A Conversation with Nepal's Kopila Valley School

aestey — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 19:47:55 +0000

A Conversation with Nepal's Kopila Valley School aestey Mon, 10/21/2024 - 15:47

The Kopila Valley team at Shelburne Farms this summer: Sustainability Coordinator Sunita Bhandari; BlinkNow Co-founder Maggie Doyne; Principal Rajen Karki; and early educator Samjhana Neupane. (Photo: Andrea Estey)

From more than 7,000 miles away, we were thrilled to welcome a team of educators from Nepal's Kopila Valley School to Shelburne Farms for professional learning this summer. (Despite the distance, Kopila is a longtime partner of Shelburne Farms and participant in Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability.)

At the end of their time in Vermont, we asked these four changemakers—Sunita, Maggie, Rajen, and Samjhana—to tell us about their school and share their reflections on sustainability.

Q: Tell me a little bit about Kopila Valley School and what you do.

Rajen: We provide free education to more than 400 students, from nursery school through Grade 12. We give priority admission to children who have been orphaned, abandoned, or who might otherwise not have access to an education. We also admit children from marginalized and socially disadvantaged ethnic groups.

As principal, I collaborate with and mobilize the school team to have the greatest impact on students’ knowledge. We also prioritize sustainability, health and wellness, and planning for students’ futures. Together, we support students to be engaged and productive so that they can learn. Also we want to instill in students love, care, and respect for nature to develop stewardship of the environment.

Kopila Valley School.

Q: What’s the story behind how Kopila Valley School came to be?

Maggie: Nineteen years ago I co-founded BlinkNow, which is the U.S. 501(c)(3) entity or the engine that fuels the work of Kopila Valley School. Kopila Valley is Nepali-run and governed by its own board.

Our goal was to go into an incredibly impoverished, struggling region and try to end cycles of poverty and marginalization, amongst children especially. The greatest opportunity to end poverty is through education. But the education that we saw there was just not up to standard, from basic infrastructure to instructional practices. We set out to build a full-service community school that could not only serve children but model what education could look like around the world. A lot of times, the Global South and regions struggling with poverty get less services, the bare minimum. But we wanted to create a school that we’d want our own children to go to, that’s loving, nurturing, safe, and nature-based.

We brought together some of the best architects, environmental engineers, farmers, and leaders who shared that vision. Slowly, step by step, we started building a school that was integrated with the community. Now sustainability is everywhere at Kopila—we have rainwater harvest, solar power, edible landscaping, a garden, and animals. Our school is very outdoors—you can’t go from one classroom to another without going outside. We built one of the world’s first rammed-earth schools, which is more resistant to earthquakes.

As part of our mission to address the needs of the whole child and family, we also operate the Kopila Valley Children’s Home, a loving family for children who have been left without parents. About 50 children live in the home now, and more than 30 have graduated into young adulthood and independent living. Knowing that it’s best to keep families together whenever possible, we also started the Kopila Valley Women’s Center to provide job training, empowerment courses, and social network support for local mothers and caregivers who are supporting their families.

We’re trying to raise the ceiling of what education can look like, while also raising the floor for the children who are struggling the most. It’s very challenging work. Ultimately, we’re trying to stop poverty in its tracks.

Q: What’s your role in advancing sustainability at Kopila Valley?

Sunita: Sustainability is one of our foundational beliefs. Part of my work as sustainability coordinator is to engage with teachers and their students to support them in integrating sustainability through everything we do, inside and outside of the classroom. Sustainable practices show up in our physical infrastructure and facilities and how we connect with our community. For example, we have a strong focus on creating sustainable food systems; to do this, we work on regenerative farming practices with local smallholder farms. We call ourselves the greenest school in Nepal!

As part of Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability, a virtual program offered by Shelburne Farms and UP for Learning, students learned about “Plants Around Kopila.” They researched their favorite plants, conducted a community survey to gather local knowledge, and tagged plants with support from experts.

Q: What about in the early childhood classrooms, how does sustainability show up there?

Samjhana: Place is the most important thing. From place and by connecting with nature, kids learn lifelong skills. As an early childhood educator, I love taking my kids outside, observing and working with nature and the community. We try to make our kids...nature kids.

For many of our children, they have a lot to overcome. Sometimes, we need to start inside, just hold them, connect with them, and help them get ready to start to learn. We have the opportunity to make them better humans. At Kopila, they can feel surrounded by people, nature, all of the natural creatures from their place.

Q: Can you say a bit more about the context you work in?

Maggie: We work in the Karnali Region of Nepal, and it’s struggling in particular. There was a civil war in Nepal just before I arrived. It’s a food-deficient country and one of the poorest in the world. There are more than one million orphaned children in Nepal. And our region is incredibly remote because of the Himalayan Mountains, and very underdeveloped. Not only that, we get hit with natural disasters. My BlinkNow co-founder is from the region and an orphan himself, so we knew when we started that “development” is not just one thing, it’s not a quick fix. It’s an integrative, complicated web. So we said, let’s start with the child. What does a child need to thrive and grow? And, the community needs healthy, thriving children, but you need one to take care of the other. So, we take a very community-based approach. Women and mothers are integral to our work—we want to stop children from becoming orphaned in the first place. Health and wellness, family development and social work, food, nutrition, it’s all part of it.

Q: I’m struck by all the ways sustainability is woven into the school. For the last two weeks at Shelburne Farms, you’ve heard many ways that schools in America want to be more like Kopila. How are you thinking about that as you go back to Nepal?

Maggie: Yeah! Like, our school lunch is grown by local Indigenous farmers, and the kids get to know the farmers. When those lunches come to school, there’s no disposable packaging on them. There’s no vehicles on campus—we all ride our bikes or walk. In Nepal, you know who your neighbors are. Some people think of our region as being really backwards, but in many ways, I think we have sustainability right. So yes, I’m thinking about how we can uplift that wisdom and also equip our students for the modern world that they’re emerging into. How do we celebrate Nepal and our ways of being?

Samjhana (left, in middle) and Sunita (right) learn with early educators at Shelburne Farms’ pond. (Photos: Andrea Estey)

Q: Really what you’re talking about in the case of Kopila and much of Nepal is, sustainability is a way of life. It’s core to survival, right?

Maggie: Exactly. It’s life-saving, and life-giving. Climate change is deeply felt for us. Like, if you don’t get your monsoon on time, you don’t have a rice harvest. If you have a bad crop, you don’t eat. There’s a lot more at stake for the Nepali community. When we talk about Himalayan springs and the lack of water, irregular seasons, heat waves...sustainability feels mission-critical, just like food, just like clean water. Sustainability isn’t a luxury, it’s our way of being and surviving. Coming away from this experience at Shelburne Farms, we need to remember that as Nepali people, we have so much of what the rest of the world wants: nature integrated into life, people living in community, solidarity.

Rajen: We cannot afford to be unsustainable in Nepal. In training here these last two weeks, we’ve talked about a lot of things our students already do, like gardening, composting, outdoor learning, and visiting farmland.

What I’ve learned here is program design and execution. I'm also impressed by the documentation processes. I look forward to sharing these takeaways in my school. Each and every moment spent at Shelburne Farms has been very fruitful and a good learning experience, especially with relation to sustainable practices and how we can replicate the ideas in our school.

Samjhana: I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to participate in these programs. It’s very helpful for me to get new activities and ideas that I can bring to my children.

Sunita: This training has been an amazing opportunity to reflect on our work, to get to know the contexts and experiences of educators from around the U.S., and their perceptions of Nepal. I see Nepal as a model country, and Kopila Valley as a model school for all the schools around the world in terms of sustainability. I urge everyone to get to know a little more about our work—and if you have recommendations, tell us!

Q: What else might you want to share with educators here in the U.S.?

Sunita: All the work we are doing is also related to justice. Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of climate change, and every livelihood is being impacted by it. Climate change is very, very visible, so sustainability is a must for us. We must do something about that. And we feel motivated to work on this for the justice of our people. I urge educators around the planet to see Education for Sustainability as a medium for creating a just, compassionate, and hopeful world.

Rajen: Ultimately, we all are traveling in one spaceship that is Mother Earth. Maybe some of us will get impacted earlier by climate change, but later on, it will come back to every one of us. And I’d like to say about the people of Nepal, despite all of the scarcity, despite not having basics like access to safe drinking water, sanitation, health care, or education, they try to live sustainably, and I feel they are happy despite these extremes. Our government must have more focus on these things, and we need to work together to eradicate the cycle of poverty.

Young kids, they will change this world. They are the future. How we teach them, we are developing the future. By making things more sustainable, we’re making this a planet where everyone can flourish.

Read more stories from Kopila Valley School in our publication, “Learning Locally, Transforming Globally.”

Follow BlinkNow on Instagram for updates on their work and news about the documentary "Between the Mountain and the Sky," featuring Maggie and the Kopila Valley children. Watch the moving trailer below.

Andrea Estey

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October 22, 2024

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How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

Sarah — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 15:17:43 +0000

How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast Sarah Mon, 10/21/2024 - 11:17

Photo by Ben Hudson.

"School meals are part of the education day."
–Betsy Rosenbluth, Director of Farm to School

By changing school culture and elevating the school meal experience, we can empower students to see the cafeteria as an extension of the classroom, where they can learn about nutrition, explore new flavors, and take pride in the food that fuels their growing bodies and minds. Justine Reichman of Essential Ingredients podcast speaks with Vermont FEED Director Betsy Rosenbluth about how we can transform the lunchroom into a place of nourishment, community, and joy.

Read on for excerpts, and listen to the full interview below:

Justine: I imagine in every city or every state, [the farm to school programs] may change based on the demographic. How do you tailor the programs for different communities?

Betsy: The whole approach to farm to school [is about integration]. You’re not layering it on top of a crowded curriculum or what schools already have to do. Rather, you’re asking, how does it help you to achieve your goals? And that's the most important adaptation.

So when we work with other states, or we work with any school, it's understanding their priorities, and then how does farm to school help you them do that? Maybe they really want more parent engagement, or they want to reintroduce indigenous foods, or whatever it might be. We're really about a process that supports people in achieving their goals.

Justine: As part of this advocacy, what challenges do you face while supporting new schools and communities in building farm to school programs?

Betsy: There's so much on schools right now: Labor shortages, staff shortages, and lots of other demands. Whether you're the school nutrition person in the cafeteria, a teacher, or a principal, the thought of one more thing is just too much. So it's hard to get the school's attention.

It's difficult to overcome the challenges we're in as a system that really doesn’t yet support local food as it should. But once people dip their toe in, they get excited and are able to move forward, especially with the resources and support we can offer.

Justine: What were some of the things that you’re working towards now?

Betsy: We’re always working on making school meals are part of the education day. In some ways, the cafeteria is the biggest classroom. And yet we treat it like kids should just rush through and get out the door to recess.

One of the things we want to do is change the culture in the lunchroom. In our partnership with Hunger Free Vermont, we decided to work towards universal free breakfast and lunch—but not just any "free" meal, but a delicious, nourishing meal with local food. And a school culture where kids feel a connection to their local farmers through education. It's sort of a tall order.

We call it “Farm Fresh School Meals for All”, and we're working on that nationally. And it's going to take a while to get there. I'm encouraged that at least one of the presidential candidates is talking about universal meals. Who would have ever thought that on a national stage we'd be talking about school meals? But there you are. So I remain hopeful. Eight states around the country, including Vermont, have passed legislation for universal meals, but we still have a long way to go in this country to take away the stigma in the lunchroom and give kids the meals they need to succeed in learning.

Interested in bring farm to school to you community? Applications for our Northeast Farm to School Institute will open in the coming months for New England and New York school, district, and early childhood teams. Our Farm to School Institute Adaptation Program applications open in early November.

Sarah Webb

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October 21, 2024

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In BCL, The City is Both Classroom and Curriculum

aestey — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 18:09:06 +0000

In BCL, The City is Both Classroom and Curriculum aestey Mon, 10/07/2024 - 14:09

Burlington City & Lake begins its 13th semester of immersive, place-based learning for high school juniors and seniors

Already this fall, BCL’s 22 students have engaged with several community partners to deepen their understanding of place, including Burlington’s lead urban park ranger Neil Preston. (Photos: Burlington City & Lake)

A quick Google search for news about Burlington will give you a window into the challenges and possibilities facing Vermont’s largest city. But reading the news is, of course, no substitute for getting to know a place firsthand. In Burlington City & Lake Semester, a program for Burlington High School juniors and seniors offered by Shelburne Farms and the Burlington School District, students learn about their community not through screens or textbooks but through hands-on, immersive experiences.

Burlington City & Lake (BCL), now in its 13th semester, uses the city as both classroom and curriculum in pursuit of understanding what it means for a community to thrive. Students spend several full days each week off-campus talking with the people that call their city home, consulting with officials and community leaders, exploring streets and parks, learning the history of various neighborhoods, immersing in cultures, and reflecting on their experiences through creative and investigative projects. Along the way, young people develop a sense of care for Burlington—and themselves—as citizens and community members.

The program recently welcomed Christie Beveridge (left) as a teacher, who facilitates the program with teacher Dov Stucker and BCL fellow Emily Taylor. “All education should be like this,” says Christie, whose background includes 18 years as a classroom teacher and, most recently, several years as a program director with UP for Learning. “I wish every student could get this type of experience. BCL is a special combination of real-world, relevant learning, and we form a community that can be vulnerable with each other in a way that students often can’t in traditional classroom settings.”

Already this fall, BCL’s 22 students have engaged with several community partners to deepen their understanding of place. They’ve taken a walking tour of the city’s Old North End neighborhood with Judy Dow (below, right), an artist, educator, and historian who is of French Canadian and Abenaki descent; met with Burlington’s lead urban park ranger Neil Preston; and talked with a panel of local organizers about the housing crisis. Students then dug deeper, exploring several frameworks related to equity and justice—and filling pages of their notebooks with questions and reflections.

In students’ words:

“The first walk with Judy was very personal and captivating as we were able to listen and essentially observe what many people who lived in the margins had to go through. I really learned more about the history of Burlington in the hour-long walk than I did in the majority of social studies or history classes I have taken. It was also very interesting to hear about the darker side of Burlington history, as I had zero idea that there was such an oppressive period in our city.” —BCL student Remy

“There are a lot of flaws in Burlington and in this state, but there’s also hope. There are people working to better our city, and it makes me wish I could do more. Maybe with more people knowing about these details, more people will volunteer. These experiences are very different from the normal school stuff I’ve done before, but I’m glad to get more involved instead of being stuck at a desk.” —BCL student Pramudita

“My perspective on Burlington has changed after hearing the input and stories told by the community partners. My perspective on Burlington’s past, and how Burlington is handling societal issues in the present, have changed. Going into the future I’m now going to be more aware of the present problems with insufficient housing. I’m also walking away with a better understanding of equity, equality, and belonging, and what they mean in our community.”—BCL student Glenna

Students walked Burlington’s waterfront parks with head ranger Neil Preston. Said student Jacques: “From these walks my perspective has changed for the better. I am realizing I need to be more involved with my community.”

“We believe BCL isn’t just beneficial for our students, but it’s beneficial for the city as well,” says Christie. “In a few weeks, we’re meeting with the group that is working on re-developing Memorial Auditorium. We’re also consulting with developers on the future of Pomeroy Park. Through these conversations, sitting at the table with decision makers, students get a say in their city. And these talks could also inspire them to see future career paths.”

Students are now beginning the first of three “inquiry projects,” investigating topics of their choosing in Burlington. “One student is studying Abenaki stories. One is looking at basketball courts in Burlington—the impact and role of courts in neighborhoods, who chooses where they go,” says Christie. “Within each inquiry project, students have to interview someone, and they have to go out and have an experience related to their topic that helps them better understand it. It empowers them to investigate and branch out.” The semester will culminate in a community theater piece created with guidance from local playwright Gina Stevensen.

While Christie is new to BCL, she says there are elements that are familiar from her time teaching in other contexts. “Experiential learning, or learning hands-on, have always been a thread through my teaching because I know that’s where the realest, most relevant learning happens,” she says.

You can continue to follow along with the BCL experience this semester on their blog.

Andrea Estey

Education Impact

Place-Based Education

Youth Voice

For Educators

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Burlington City and Lake Semester: On Sustainability

Get a glimpse into how Burlington City and Lake Semester engages with sustainability in some of the many meanings of the word.

Educators, What's Your Dream?

Andy Barker dreamed of launching a community-based program for high schoolers. In partnership with Shelburne Farms, it became Burlington City and Lake, now in its ninth semester.

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Rethinking Equity in the Outdoors

We need to feel we belong in the places we live if we are to begin to heal them. Here's a personal exploration of how we might collectively imagine spaces where everyone belongs.

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October 7, 2024

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'Sage' Magazine Celebrates Place-Based Educators

aestey — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 14:55:36 +0000

'Sage' Magazine Celebrates Place-Based Educators aestey Mon, 09/16/2024 - 10:55

Our own Aimee Arandia Østensen is among those featured in a zine showcasing stewards of Vermont

When you hear the words “college capstone project,” you may immediately think of a weighty research paper or lengthy presentation. What you might not expect is the latest issue of Sage, a beautiful, 72-page magazine chock full of stories on what it means to care for a place.

Bella Brodsky has produced Sage for the past seven years. For this latest issue, she collaborated with Carina Crane; the zine served as their culminating project for the Place-Based Education Certificate program offered by the University of Vermont and Shelburne Farms.

The issue is a celebration of Vermont and the people who steward place in many different ways, including several folks with connections to Shelburne Farms: Vermont Teacher of the Year Aziza Malik (a current Climate Resiliency Fellow); former Burlington City and Lake teacher and farm staff member Signe Daly; and Shelburne Farms educator Aimee Arandia Østensen, who teaches in the Place-Based Education Certificate. (You can read Aimee’s full conversation with Carina below.)

“Through the Place-Based Education program, we learned so many ideas of what ‘place’ is,” says Carina. Adds Bella, “One of our main intentions with this issue was to show that community care and stewardship can take so many forms. And to show that place-based education doesn’t just happen in elite private education spaces. It can mean so many different things—art, farming, ecology, storytelling, activism.”

Shelburne Farms educator Aimee Arandia Østensen at the top of Lone Tree Hill. (Photo: Bella Brodsky)

Both Bella and Carina took the course Foundations of Place-Based Education with Aimee. “It was a really cool class. We had experiences in so many different communities within Burlington and UVM,” explains Carina. “The size of the program and the class was special. It made it a great environment for connecting with your professors and your peers.”

Another memorable class: an elective on resiliency-based education taught by UVM Associate Professor Simon Jorgenson, a frequent collaborator of the farm. “Simon and Aimee do a really wonderful job of demonstrating non-hierarchical learning. They break down a lot of the boundaries of ‘teacher and learner’ that can be intimidating. Both teach in a way that feels really warm, loving, and caring,” says Bella. “It’s the kind of teaching that opens you up to feel fulfilled by the learning and to be able to learn.”

So what exactly is place-based education? Laughs Carina, “I get that a lot. I’d describe it as the type of education that directly surrounds us. It’s going out in your community and forming connections and relationships, and through that, you’re learning in ways that are digestible, that you can relate to, and in ways that are emotional. You develop a much deeper sense of love and care for the issues you’re learning about.” Adds Bella, “It’s education that nourishes you.”

With undergrad degrees and place-based education certificates under their belts, Carina is now working as an environmental mentor at Bread and Butter Village School in Shelburne and Crow’s Path in Burlington; Bella is a farmer at Dandelion Farm in Westford and a student in the UVM Food Systems master’s program concentrating in agroecology. Bella and Carina plan to continue producing issues of Sage, too; their next issue will be available in Winter 2025.

You can purchase a copy of Sage Issue 9 on their website.

A Conversation with Aimee Arandia Østensen

From Sage Issue 9
Written by Carina Crane
Photography by Bella Brodsky

Photo by Bella Brodsky

My name is Aimee Arandia Østensen. The place that is my heart home is a small homestead on six acres of land on a mountainside in the Catskills on Esopus Munsee land. It's in a little dead end valley, surrounded by mountains. I think it is the place that I feel most deeply connected to. This little place in the mountains is my heart home, and I describe it that way because I've deepened my relationship with that particular place through seasons and seasons and seasons. And there has definitely been an exchange of breath, learning and care between the place and me in that time.

I grew up in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York and I never really felt home there. It was where I was born, it was where I spent my youth, but I never felt a sense of belonging. I felt there was this longing for natural and open spaces and deeper connection to the natural world. I had a commitment to, and this understanding that I needed to be more in touch with all that sustains us.

What does place mean to you?

I think it's all about relationships. The land exists, whether or not we humans are there to witness it. But when I start talking about Place, I think what I'm talking about is the relationship between individuals and communities and the land. That relationship is what makes Place.

Aimee splits her time between her home in the Catskill Mountains and Vermont, where she works as a professional learning facilitator with the Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools. Working in many different environments, she weaves in values of justice and sustainability in various educational contexts.

In some ways, when we think about education, we think about the formalized institution and organized learning, but I think there's also a side of education which is just learning to live better, and living to learn. I think learners and students should experience that education is both things.

The purpose of formalized education for me has evolved. I think “How can we learn to be in relationship with the land, the communities we're in, and ourselves?" such that we are creating regeneration. Living in such a way that all beings and people that we're in relationship with have the opportunity to thrive. I know that sounds very glorious and maybe unrooted, but I think in small ways, if we're just starting to tend to the relationships immediately around us, and learning how to then do that in bigger circles, it is possible.

Storytelling is a way of understanding for Aimee; giving meaning to all that is around, deepening her connection to place.

I get so much joy from the tiny things: the way that the sunlight hits a leaf or a petal, the way that there's a sparkle that might move on the water, a certain feeling in the wind or a certain expression that I might perceive on the faces of other people that I'm with. I find so much delight in those things, and I often find that when I'm having gloomier days or more stressed out days, it might be that I haven't stopped to take a moment to notice the multitude of joys that are around me.

I like to think of the world as a place that is filled with a multitude of stories; stories that are there to teach and stories that are there to learn from and stories that just exist. Learning how to listen to those stories—whether they're verbally shared or just alive in the ways that ecosystems are functioning and individual plants and humans are functioning—there's so much to learn. The limitations of a textbook, for example, or any single source of material is that it can only bring you so many stories and so many perspectives. Once we kind of lift our heads up and look around and go outside, and move in the community—then there—the potential to tap into the richness of the stories that exist, is endless.

Andrea Estey

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Hawai'i and Vermont, Place-Based Partners

Educators, including Shelburne Farms staff, from these two very different places are, in fact, partners in place-based research and shared learning.

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Two Paths, One Like Mind: Unsettling Place-Based Education

The centuries-old idea of walking two paths with one like mind is a concept that can help inform our work as place-based educators today.

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Meet our Summer Fellows: What They Learned

Four students from Middlebury College and the University of Vermont share reflections on what they learned from the immersive, place-based experience.

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September 16, 2024

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These Educators Are Growing Climate Resilience

aestey — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:30:09 +0000

These Educators Are Growing Climate Resilience aestey Thu, 08/29/2024 - 15:30

Photos by Andrea Estey

It’s mid-August at Shelburne Farms, and although the living room of Windmill House is full of people, it’s quiet except for the scratching and scribbling of pencils and markers on paper. Sitting on chairs and couches, educators sketch the future—that is, how they want to feel in the future—when it comes to climate change education.

This group of educators, 16 in total from the Northeast, are part of the Climate Resiliency Fellowship program, offered by Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools. Throughout this school year, fellows will come together to deepen their expertise in teaching about climate change and climate solutions; in connecting students to place; and to support each other in what can be an emotional, heavy subject. Facilitators Aimee Arandia Østensen and Emily Schaller guide the journey, with guest presenters joining from around the region.

Fellows will come together seasonally throughout the next school year to learn, develop and design action projects, and lend each other support. On right, the first gathering kicked off with a presentation from Vermont State Climatologist Dr. Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux and Indigenous scholar Judy Dow on braiding western science and traditional ecological knowledge for a more resilient future. (Photos: Andrea Estey)

Climate change education feels more urgent now than perhaps ever before: Three-quarters of young people say they are frightened about their future because of climate change. The planet just experienced 14 months in a row of record-breaking heat, according to NOAA. And summer drought, among other disasters around the world, catastrophic flooding to Vermont.

Each fellow will connect students to their place, nurture a sense of wonder and care for the planet, and offer outlets for wrestling with the fear and anxiety associated with climate change. Fellows will implement projects in their schools or communities designed to support young peoples’ understanding of their place, providing a foundation for the next generation to make more sustainable decisions.

Meet four of this year’s fellows—teachers Brooke, Mark, Maisie, and Lindsey—and read about the projects that they’ll develop in the coming year.

Brooke Piana, visual arts teacher
Woodstock Union High School and Middle School, Woodstock, VT

Her plan: To make more climate connections for her students in Grades 7–12, Brooke is in the process of developing a unit inspired by the nearby Ottauquechee River and its recurring flooding. “I’m hoping we can explore why the river is in its current formation and see if our artwork can play a role in improving the river’s health and our resilience.” This spring, her students will explore the history of the river, get on the ground to see what elements around the river are new, and grapple with what the community can do in the face of a changing climate.

Mark Garner, science teacher
Ridge and Valley Charter School, Blairstown, NJ

His plan: To establish a climate-resilient forest on school grounds. The forest will serve as a site for student-led research: students will select climate-adapted tree species to plant, study best practices in forest management, and collect data over time. Mark is pulling inspiration from his recent experience in our Forest for Every Classroom program, too. “Through written and artistic reflections, I’m hoping students will help document the changes and stories of the land.”

Maisie Anrod, 6th grade teacher
Lyman C. Hunt Middle School, Burlington, VT

Her plan: “A foundational piece of sustainability is cultivating a genuine connection with the land and understanding our deep interconnection with all of the species around us,” explains Maisie. She hopes to create a unit around food justice, which will include bringing her students into the school garden to learn about interdependence, ecosystems, and food webs among species in these ecosystems. “Food is an essential way to connect across cultures.” And, just think of all the ways climate change impacts farming, workers, and how people access food. “Food justice is an exciting way for social justice concepts to show up in a science/math classroom.”

Lindsey Glabach Royce, STEM teacher
Dummerston School, Dummerston, VT

Her plan: To connect students to the land and to their community, Lindsey hopes to incorporate Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledges in her fifth and sixth grade STEM classes—examples include teaching math and geometry through beadwork and basket weaving; sharing foraging skills and the many uses for native plants; and reading the geologic story of the surrounding landscape. “This knowledge isn’t only in the past. Kids need this knowledge for their well-being and the future.”

Stay tuned for more about their work, and congratulations to all of this year’s fellows:

Maisie Anrod, Lyman C. Hunt Middle School, Burlington, VT
Nika Blank, Peddie School, Highstown, NJ
Jim Clifford, Connecticut Outdoor Environmental Education Association and the CT Climate Education Hub, Milford, CT
Abigail Diehl-Noble and Camie Thompson, Lake Champlain Waldorf School, Shelburne, VT
Liza Duncan, Abraham Clark High School, Roselle, NJ
Melissa Fellows, Katrina Jimerson, and Brooke Piana, Woodstock Union High School Middle School, Woodstock, VT
Corrine Gagnon, Shapleigh School/ Kittery School Department, Kittery, ME
Mark Garner, Ridge and Valley Charter School, Blairstown, NJ
Lindsey Glabach Royce, Dummerston School, Dummerston, VT
Amanda Gustafson and Katey Wyndorf, Edmunds Middle School, Burlington, VT
Laura Leavitt, White River Valley Elementary School, South Royalton, VT
Aziza Malik, Champlain Elementary, Burlington, VT

Andrea Estey

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Oyster Reefs as a Climate Change Adaptation

This and other work from educators in our 2022–23 Climate Resiliency Fellowship.

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We asked our land managers (dairy, gardens, and forests) how they're adjusting to more unpredictable weather patterns brought on by climate change.

Biochar: A Climate Solution?

We're experimenting with how biochar--a carbon-rich product made from the controlled burning of biomass--might fit into our climate action plan and also benefit other areas of our farming system.

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September 5, 2024

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Celebrating Our 2024 4-H Team

aestey — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:20:42 +0000

Celebrating Our 2024 4-H Team aestey Tue, 08/20/2024 - 16:20

It's showtime!

For many years, Shelburne Farms has organized a 4-H club, The Shelburne Explorers. Participants—future farmers, aspiring veterinarians, and young animal lovers—learn about and work closely with Shelburne Farms' herd of Brown Swiss cows.

In April, each 4-H participant picks a calf to call their own for the season: they care for their calf, train it, and show their stuff to panels of expert judges at fairs around the region throughout the summer.

4-H youth work hard in the weeks leading up to the first show, learning to halter, lead, and bathe their cows so they're show-ready. Says agricultural educator Susie Gilmore, "As group leaders, we support and help where needed, but with the motto of 'learn by doing,' 4-Hers do almost all of it themselves."

Andrea Estey

4-Her Avery gives her calf a pre-training pep talk.
Andrea Estey

4-Her Emma. Her reason for joining? "I just love animals."
Robin Turnau

4-H Explorer Noa shows off his cow to visitors. Noa, a high school senior, is an aspiring large animal vet.

What is 4-H?

4-H is a federal program cooperatively developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Extension system, and local communities. The mission of all 4-H programs is to help young people become self-directing, productive, and contributing members of society by learning practical skills and developing leadership potential.

Having your calf (and yourself) looking tip-top in the show ring is the goal, explains Susie. 4-H members get their calves ready by fluffing their tails, making a perfect topline, shining their coats, and even applying a coat of hoof polish to their toes.

Here are a few photo highlights from this summer's shows. (Champlain Valley Expo is still to come!) While blue ribbons are nice, as Susie explains, it's the joy, hard work, and life lessons earned through 4-H that make it such a powerful program.

Congratulations, 2024 team!

Susie Gilmore

The Shelburne Explorers 4-H squad kicked off the 2024 show season in July with the Multi County 4-H Dairy show in Fair Haven, Vermont.
Susie Gilmore

Naptime in the barn after a long day of showing.
Susie Gilmore

Noa, John, Jordan, Emma, and Avery with their calves at the Multi County 4-H Dairy show.
Susie Gilmore

At Addison County Field Days in early August. Jordan (with South Dakota), Noa (with New York), and John (with Yule) outside the ring awaiting their yearling class show.
Susie Gilmore

On left, Noa and his calf Missouri earned Junior Champion Brown Swiss at Addison County Field Days. Noa and his winter calf won reserve Junior Champion. On right, the leaders who make the team possible (minus Shelburne Farms herdsman Renee).

Andrea Estey

Education Impact

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The Power of 4-H

Shelburne Explorers 4-Hers select a calf in the spring, then work with it all summer long to show at fairs.They learn so much about commitment, perseverance, and other life lessons. And they get to snuggle with calves.

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24 Hours at the Dairy

Our dairy team works every day to make high quality milk from healthy cows raised on pasture. See just some of what they do from pre-dawn to dusk to achieve that goal, and to share the world of dairy farming with others.

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Connecting Students to Vermont's Dairy Farms

June is National Dairy Month, and we're highlighting a longtime program connecting farmer and students: Dairy in the Classroom.

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August 21, 2024

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Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Sarah — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 15:32:27 +0000

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food Sarah Thu, 06/20/2024 - 11:32

“Wow, it really does look like Hogwarts,” a student remarks, impressed, walking into the school gymnasium. Set end-to-end, four long stretches of tables span the room, one for each grade (“Harry Potter style”). The bleachers and mats are strung with twinkling lights, pushed aside for the schoolwide lunch. It’s March 2024, and Montpelier High School’s first-ever Solon Soup for the Soul is just kicking off with 400 students and staff sitting down to share a meal together.

Educator Sam Bromley serves soup to students during the inaugural Solon Soup for the Soul lunch. Photo by Sarah Webb.

“We have events like this in the fall and spring, and we were thinking how we should have one in the winter, too,” explains senior Meg Voisin. She and fellow senior Anika Turcotte are the creators of the event, named for the school’s mascot, the Athenian philosopher, Solon. The duo organized with teachers, the school nutrition team, and administrators to give their peers time to connect with one another following the isolating years of the pandemic.

“Only half of the school would come in the morning, and the other half came in the afternoon,” Meg remembers back to those days. “So we were coming in as freshmen, and there's like these big scary seniors, and you can't see if they're smiling at you because we've all got masks on, and there are temperature guns as you walk through the school… It was really isolating.”

As restrictions eased, the school created a spring event, Pizza for the People. Students gathered in between class sessions to eat freshly baked pizza from the outdoor oven, play lawn games, and have a moment of normalcy. “The event was designed to combat that isolation,” shares Meg, “and that’s what we want for Solon Soup for the Soul, too.”

But the road to Solon Soup took a team, and time. Last summer, three teachers — Brigitte Savard, Matt McLane, and Sam Bromley — formed a team with Meg and Anika and were accepted into the Northeast Farm to School Institute, a year-long program supporting schools across the region in deepening connections among the classroom, cafeteria, and local agricultural community.

Andy Duback

A portion of the Montpelier Northeast Farm to School Institute team at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn develops their action plan for further embedding food systems education into their curriculum.
Andy Duback

Youth team members Meg Voisin (left) and Anika Turcotte (right) dream up the Solon Soup for the Soul event during the Northeast Farm to School Institute at Shelburne Farms.

The Montpelier team went into the kick-off retreat with some significant assets. Pizza for the People, and the school’s longstanding Fall Harvest Celebration were already highlighting how Montpelier’s sense of community is synonymous with a shared meal. Out behind their school, a greenhouse, gardens, apiaries, and a flock of chickens were helping students connect good food to its source.

“We just really needed that dedicated team time to dive into this work,” shares science teacher Sam Bromley. “I feel like in the school setting, it's really hard to bring stakeholders together and have the time and space to get in the mindset to think creatively.”

Students and teachers shared in the planning. “I can't imagine not having students as part of the team,” Sam adds. “If we can get students involved right away, they can build excitement. Their voice builds teacher buy-in and longevity.”

It was during the Institute’s opening retreat at Shelburne Farms Coach Barn that Meg and Anika envisioned Solon Soup for the Soul. “It was a time and space for our team of teachers and students to all be together, completely focused on this one thing,” recalls Anika. “I remember sitting in the back of that nice, big barn… just being surrounded by all these people who are really excited about bringing good food into our schools. It helped focus us. That barn is a good place for ideas.”

“We just started brainstorming,” explains Meg. “What do we want for ourselves? For our peers? And we were just thinking ‘really cozy, rustic bread, comfort.’ Right then and there we created the title of it: Solon Soup for the Soul.”

The team returned to school with an idea, ready to bring it to life, and held regular planning meetings throughout the fall semester. “We faced some logistical challenges,” remembers Brigitte. “We couldn’t use the gym during the basketball season, our school's folding tables were destroyed in a recent flood, and the school calendar was already jam-packed.” But the team had help. “Having the support of the administration was key to this event's success,” says Brigitte. “ They helped us navigate the hurdles we faced.”

Students supported the event by processing the majority of the menu's ingredients during class time. Photo by Sarah Webb.

Then, they needed to figure out how to make over 400 servings of soup. The team pulled in student-power from classes that already used the school’s teaching kitchen, like Sam’s Cooked class, a popular offering with hands-on culinary and food systems learning. “It’s a space where we get to cook foods we normally couldn't at home,” explains Cooked student Lara. “We get to learn new skills and cook for special events and guests. It’s just nice to work together.”

Brigitte’s French and Crêpe classes were also tasked to help. The Crêpe class supports a student-run crêpe kiosk at the local farmers’ market. “Students work on all aspects of the business,” shares Brigitte, “from cooking, menu development, branding, and marketing, to serving and taking orders at the market.” The sales support a travel scholarship fund available school-wide.

Leading up to the lunch, these classes prepped the ingredients: 50 pounds of carrots, 30 pounds of onions, 80 pounds of potatoes, and 40 gallons of stock to name a few. The cooking was finished in the cafeteria kitchen.

Food Services Director Jim Birmingham pulls the meal together and works with the team to serve the entire school community in the gymnasium. Photo by Sarah Webb.

“We are very fortunate to have a very supportive Food Services Director and Kitchen Manager,” explains Sam. “They’re partners in this work. They’re excited to support more whole-school events and get students involved, but they don’t always have the people power.”

Vermont school nutrition departments budget for, plan, cook, and serve over 17 million meals annually, with an abundance of regulations applied to every single one, including special events like Solon Soup for the Soul.

“The students came up with this idea, and my role is to help them figure out how to make their idea be compliant [with USDA standards],” explains Food Services Director Jim Birmingham. “My role really was doing the math, understanding the regulations, knowing what needed to be served, and working from there.”

The team figured out how to create a simple menu that could feed the entire school in an hour, while meeting requirements and purchasing as much local food as possible. The solution was all about collaboration. “We cook the Misty Knoll chickens and the students pick them,” explains Jim. “We buy the carrots, and they cut them. It's nice to work with Sam, who can work with the students, prioritize, and help us figure out how to make it all work.

Educator Brigitte Savard serves up chicken soup as the entire school gathers for a meal together. Photo by Sarah Webb.

And they made it all work. On March 20, Montpelier High School students and faculty sat down in the gymnasium. A custom Solon Soup for the Soul playlist was just audible above the conversation. The planning team, pushing carts brimming with pots of soup, wound their way through the aisles, ladling out chicken noodle and vegan minestrone to all. The event also served as a food drive, collecting nonperishables for a nearby food shelf. Extra soup was packaged and donated, too.

“You know, we typically don't eat together all at once. So it was really nice to have an extended amount of time where students could sit down and eat together,” says Sam. “It was a chance to really have some intentionality behind eating and bringing the community together.”

“These events really are a core Montpelier thing,” Anika adds. “I'm so grateful to be a part of a school community that values spending time, all together, serving local food. These events will definitely be what I'll look back on in ten years and remember.”

The Solon Soup for the Soul team. Left to right: Sam Bromley, Anika Turcotte, Meg Voisin, Brigitte Savard, Matt McLane. Phot courtesy Montpelier High School.

Sarah Webb

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Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

We’re sharing a look back at some of our projects, collaborations, and campaigns that helped to propel the farm to school movement forward in 2023.

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Honoring Identity in the Classroom: Students Embrace Their Food Story

Vermont Teacher of the Year Aziza Malik explores how food, like storytelling, connects us all.

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Adapting the Model: Connecticut’s Statewide Farm to School Institute

As part of the 2023–24 Farm to School Institute Adaptation cohort, Connecticut reflects on their experience launching their first statewide Institute.

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June 20, 2024

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Education Impact

New Podcast Series: Farm to School Northeast

Climate Action and Food Waste: One School's Story

Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

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What We Can Learn from the Gulf of Maine

These Educators Are Growing Climate Resilience

Getting REAL: A Framework for Climate Change Education

Oyster Reefs as a Climate Change Adaptation

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Farm to School Education in Montpelier is Building Resilience

Watch event coverage from My Champlain Valley

Learn more about the statewide programs supporting schools and early childhood programs in deepening student connections to local food systems:

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

Connecting Students to Vermont's Dairy Farms

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A Conversation with Nepal's Kopila Valley School

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How Do We Support & Grow Farm to School? A Conversation with Essential Ingredients Podcast

"School meals are part of the education day." –Betsy Rosenbluth, Director of Farm to School

Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

Let's Make Pickles!

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In BCL, The City is Both Classroom and Curriculum

Burlington City and Lake Semester: On Sustainability

Educators, What's Your Dream?

Rethinking Equity in the Outdoors

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'Sage' Magazine Celebrates Place-Based Educators

A Conversation with Aimee Arandia Østensen

Hawai'i and Vermont, Place-Based Partners

Two Paths, One Like Mind: Unsettling Place-Based Education

Meet our Summer Fellows: What They Learned

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These Educators Are Growing Climate Resilience

Oyster Reefs as a Climate Change Adaptation

Adapting to changing weather

Biochar: A Climate Solution?

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Celebrating Our 2024 4-H Team

What is 4-H?

The Power of 4-H

24 Hours at the Dairy

Connecting Students to Vermont's Dairy Farms

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Montpelier's Soulful Soup: Uniting the School Community Through Food

Farm to School Impact by the Numbers

Honoring Identity in the Classroom: Students Embrace Their Food Story

Adapting the Model: Connecticut’s Statewide Farm to School Institute

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"School meals are part of the education day."
–Betsy Rosenbluth, Director of Farm to School