Last month, Food Connects gathered principals, superintendents, administrative assistants, and food service directors to celebrate the 2021-2022 Farm to School year in Southeastern Vermont and look forward to the upcoming school year!
A Farm to School Celebration
For most school administrators, their work has been non-stop since the pandemic first came to Vermont. From ever-changing health guidelines to troubleshooting class schedules and how to safely bring students back to in-person learning, and all the different technologies they’ve had to adopt, there hasn’t been much time for rest and reflection. Thanks to the generous support of Members 1st Credit Union, Food Connects hosted administrators and school nutrition professionals from across the region for an afternoon celebration of all that’s been accomplished despite the odds.
On a deceivingly sunny day, 14 school staff members from 9 different schools gathered together for the first time, in what seems like, ages. Each school has a unique Farm to School program, yet schools rarely get to see all the interesting things happening elsewhere. The guests had the opportunity to cross-pollinate and share ideas on how to improve school gardens, share unique ideas about incorporating local food into their cafeterias, and generally celebrate the amazing (and challenging) Farm to School year.
“It was so nice to be able to connect with other area schools and hear about the tremendous impact of Food Connects.” said Kelly Dias, Academy School Principal. “ I'd love to keep up the networking throughout the year with our school-based teams if we can find a way to do so.”
Despite some surprising heavy rains midway through the event, principals were able to connect and learn from each other. Each attendee was paired with another school that had a similar program that they could learn from. From the new Where in the World are We Eating program in Windham Southeast Schools, to the new Farm to School program starting up at Central Elementary School, the full spectrum of programming was represented at the event.
Evelyn Sirois, CEO at Members 1st Credit Union, said that they support the Food Connects Farm to School program because “It enriches our educational practices and emphasizes local involvement in our agriculture." Food Connects is grateful for the fiscal support of Members 1st Credit Union for making this event possible. As a nonprofit organization, Food Connects relies on the generosity of our community donors, like Members 1st Credit Union to hold celebratory events and professional development offerings for our school teachers, administrators, and food nutrition professionals in our community.
Windham County Farm to School Celebration was a Success!
Our Farm to School Celebration on October 11 was a success! Thanks to all the Farm to School champions from the area who joined us. We had 25 attendees representing food service, education, and administration from schools across the county. Our participants enjoyed an evening of inspiring stories, networking, and delicious food in a beautiful setting! Thanks to the Retreat Farm for allowing us to hold the event in their gorgeous space and to Tito’s Taqueria for catering a tasty taco bar featuring local produce donated by Harlow Farm. And finally, thank you to our sponsor, the Farm to School Network, for allowing us to host this wonderful event.
We learned so much great information from our speakers! Ali West, food service director for the Brattleboro Town Schools, shared her passion for making sure all children are well nourished and that no student is stigmatized due to his or her family’s socio-economic status. She highlighted her successes with universal meals, share coolers, and Breakfast After the Bell programs in the Brattleboro Town Schools. Shane Rogers, Project Manager for Rooted in Vermont, talked about his efforts to bring the local food movement to more Vermonters by focusing on traditions in Vermont families that go back for generations, like hunting, fishing, foraging, and gardening and through his use of social media to highlight average Vermonters and his use of the #rootedinvermont hashtag. Wayne Kermenski and Jeanne Bruffee inspired us by telling the story of Hawlemont Regional Elementary School in Charlemont, MA, which, when faced by the challenge of declining enrollment, reinvented itself as a project-based learning institution with a focus on agriculture. Students have risen to the occasion, learning the value of hard work through participation in regular chores, producing their own vegetables and value added products like homemade salsa which are sold at a weekly farmer’s market at the school, and as a result behavior problems have decreased, test scores have improved, and the school has doubled in size since the program began.
In the words of some of our participants:
“All of it was wonderful really, seeing the farm, meeting people and networking and learning about all of the wonderful programs in the works!”
“It was really great to hear about what is happening locally with Farm to School.”
“I really enjoyed hearing from Wayne and Jeanne—what an inspiring story!”
If you missed it this time, no worries! We plan to do more gatherings like this in the near future. Stay tuned!
Windham County Farm to School Celebration
Join Food Connects, in partnership with the Vermont Farm to School Network, in celebrating Farm to School efforts across Windham County!
Taste some delicious tacos by Tito's Taqueria, network and discuss ideas with fellow farm to school advocates, and learn more about what's happening in Windham County this year.
Have questions? Contact Kate at 802-451-0510 or kate@foodconnects.org.
*Professional development certificates will be available for all participants.