The sophomore class completed its annual trip to The Farm at Holmes in early October. Under the guidance of David Frost and Margaret Wilder, and with help from their friends, family, and staff, Wooster students got their hands dirty doing real farm work. Despite the rain and cold, everyone managed to have a good time!
For many of the students, this trip represented a chance to literally reap what they had sowed in the spring. For others, it was an entirely new experience, but one that was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and enjoyment. At the end of the trip, several people remarked how surprised they were at how much fun they had doing the work.
Among the many projects being worked on were cooking meals, pressing cider, building a shed for a passive solar water heater, digging a trench for a geothermal heating system in a greenhouse, feeding and caring for the pigs and chickens, taking down the "caterpillar" hoop house, harvesting a variety of vegetables, and milling lumber on the sawmill.
As Wooster School continues to deepen its relationship with The Farm at Holmes, we see so many connections between the challenges faced on the farm and what our students are learning at Wooster, both academically and personally. Persistence is needed in equal measure with creative problem-solving; we apply geometry in building a structure as we depend on teamwork to get it done. It is this crossing of disciplines, taking our learning into problems that need us to get dirt under our fingernails, that is the true measure of the meaning of our trips to the farm.
About Wooster School
Wooster School is an independent, co-educational college preparatory day school, serving students from Fairfield and Westchester Counties. Located in Danbury, Connecticut, the School serves students from Pre-K through grade 12. A leader in classroom innovation and teaching, Wooster School is a place where thinking and learning are personal, meaningful, and visible; and where faculty work closely with students in small classes and cohorts to think and communicate critically and creatively. At Wooster, every student participates, every student contributes, and every student learns and develops the necessary skills to be a life-long learner and leader in college and life beyond.
The Farm at Holmes
The Farm at Holmes is a new addition to the Holmes Camp and Conference Center. The Holmes camp is approximately 55 miles north of New York City in the town of Holmes, New York. The 550-acre camp and conference center is set among pristine forests, lakes, cliffs, trails and wetlands in the hill country of northern Putnam County/southern Dutchess County in the lower Hudson River Valley.
The property supports two year-round conference centers, three year-round retreat cabins, two seasonal youth facilities, a rustic camping program, several tent/trailer and day group areas, and an environmental science and arts program. The property includes three lakes and was the site of the original Peter Kent farm.
We are excited to expand the community gardens at the camp into a fully operational Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. At the farm we will grow a wide selection of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and herbs. We will also have fresh eggs available from our chickens.
Learn more by visiting http://thefarmatholmes.org/.