Sustainable Schools at Work: Field and Forest Program

Education for Sustainability is an authentic, meaningful approach that links place-based experiences, systems thinking, and service learning. It’s the philosophy that underpins our Institute for Sustainable Schools because we believe this type of education can foster a more sustainable, more just future for all. The Field and Forest program is an example of transformative learning in action. We’re grateful to have built relationships over the years with many educators at Champlain Valley Union High School through our professional learning programs, which blossomed into this collaboration.

Here is a reflection from CVU English teacher Annie Bellerose on the inaugural semester of the program.

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On a frosty day in January, 20 students and four teachers at Champlain Valley Union High School kicked off an inaugural year of Field and Forest, in partnership with Shelburne Farms. By the time school wrapped up in June, we'd all learned so much. Over the course of the semester, CVU teachers collaborated with Courtney Mulcahy, as well as lots of other Shelburne Farms staff, to explore the working and wild landscapes of the farm.

Field and Forest is an integrated full-day program that allows 11th and 12th grade students to deepen their understanding of social and ecological systems, exploring the connectedness of social justice, environment, climate, and literature. The curriculum emphasizes project-based learning, reading, writing, discussing, and simply being outside. 

Our hope in this program was that it be accessible to all kinds of learners, offering a deep dive into the place where we live. We kicked off each Monday at Shelburne Farms, starting with morning chores (usually moving hay bales) and then shifting into our experiential academic content. This ranged from grading maple syrup to pricing lumber, from exploring rotational grazing and tasting cheese, to wading through vernal pools and studying grassland birds.

Our students were incredibly flexible as our teaching team navigated the first year of the program, donning their boots and warm weather gear on the coldest of days. They jumped into hard work, whether throwing bales of hay or making assembly line grilled cheese lunch feasts, and jumped into play, whether skipping rocks into Lake Champlain or fencing with overgrown stalks of asparagus.

When asked about some of their most memorable experiences, one student shared that she learned: "How to be patient. That goats can have strokes. How to stand up for myself. That women can do the same things as men, but better at times." Another student wrote, "Well, while not directly educational, my favorite moments were hanging out with friends in the outdoors as I feel that in 2022 few kids my age just go out to the woods or lake bank and just have fun." In our end of year survey, students repeatedly emphasized that their days at Shelburne Farms were a real highlight of the course. 

In the end, these student comments were just what we were aiming for: a connection to themselves, to the landscape, and to each other. 

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Thank you to the staff, students, teachers, and families at CVU for their collaboration. We look forward to working with you again in the 2022-23 school year!

Interested in partnering with Shelburne Farms? Visit our school programs page for details.