Spring has finally arrived and BFA’s Farm to School Program is in full bloom. The FTS program has two components: a club and a class. Students in both areas have been working to meet the goals of their three-year plan. BFA was recently visited by Erica Campbell from the office of Senator Bernie Sanders who gave the students positive feedback about their progress.
Shannon, a student at BFA Fairfax, gave Campbell a tour of our Farm to School Farm and reviewed the current plan. “She was able to see the potential for our project through our three-year plan. She thinks that our program will become the ‘face of Farm to School in Vermont'” Shannon said. The visit was “absolutely brilliant. Ms. Campbell offered to provide us with connections and resources and hopes to bring Senator Sanders back to BFA Fairfax for our Harvest Dinner.”
Club students have been busy through the long winter getting ready to plant. In early “spring” a greenhouse was built and ready to start seedlings for transplant when the time was right. The next projects for the students are to build a shed and a bridge to provide storage and access to the gardens. This work has been made possible through the assistance of community partners and parent volunteers.
“Our club has lots of traction as we finish the first year of the plan. Everything we promised has been delivered. We have overcome obstacles for the progress of the program” – Shannon, FTS President
Students in the Farm to School class have been working on composting. They have built a worm composting bin and hope to obtain the cafeteria food scraps to keep the worms fed and creating more rich compost for the gardens. “The students are working on a local community meal and learning about food ethics when they are not busy planting and tending the garden,” said Farm to School teacher Marjorie Hollocher. Hollocher and Fred Griffin will be joining forces to team teach the Farm to School course next year.
“It’s a powerful vision,” said Griffin, “It draws people in. We are building a diverse outdoor classroom that works in partnership with our school cafeteria, our townspeople, and our students. This is exciting stuff!”
Students will be tending the garden throughout the summer awaiting the fall harvest. All that is left to do now is to hope for the right weather to foster growth in the garden that matches the growth in enthusiasm for BFA’s Farm to School initiative.
The FWSU Story 