Farm and Garden Student Support Specialist - AmeriCorps

Good Health Works – Washington Academy Farm and Garden

This program focuses on providing direct service to students and community members through focused work in the school garden on campus. The current garden donates over 1000 pounds of food a year to a local food pantry to combat food insecurity. There is a goal to double the amount of food we offer to the local food pantry. In addition, our campus serves over 60 residential students from over 20 different countries and members of the Passamaquoddy tribe.

Our hope is to grow vegetables and fruit – as long as weather permits – that these students are used to eating  addition, to serve some of those same vegetables in dishes served to the entire student body at breakfast and lunch. Through the work in the garden, the goal is to foster continued belonging in the community and expansion of the student exposure to traditional gardening practices as well as a wide variety of food.

The position itself will require facilitating a hands‑on class period in which students work the garden and learn about gardening/farming practices. The work will be completed with training from a master gardener as well as with support of 3 trained gardeners/science teachers on campus. The volunteer will also serve closely with the Assistant Head of School to ensure the partnerships with the local food pantry, with the kitchen staff, Passamaquoddy mentors, and the science department are strong to support the longevity of this project and this position.

The volunteer will also be the first to experience the garden with water and power to the greenhouse, with the intent of contributing to the longevity of that structure on campus. The final expectation is to facilitate service projects, ongoing sustainability club participation in the garden, as well as providing opportunity for residential students to have more consistent time in the garden whether it is on personal growing or as part of the larger garden goals.

• Live in the dorm and carry out weekly evening dorm duty and monthly weekend duty, bringing awareness to the garden and integrating it into campus culture.
• Chaperone weekend events once a month and supervise one evening each week.
• Work with students in the garden, providing ongoing presence on campus.
• Detail the needs of the garden to the Healthy Acadia liaison and Assistant Head of School.
• Assist any classes that visit the garden and support after‑school clubs that want to work in the garden.
• Coordinate with the Healthy Acadia partner to ensure food is delivered to the food pantry in an acceptable and timely manner.

Stipend, Living Allowance, Training, Health Coverage, Education award upon successful completion of service, Childcare assistance if eligible.

Car recommended.

• Tribal
• Education
• Children/Youth
• Community Outreach
• Community and Economic Development
• Health
• Hunger

• Public Health
• Teaching/Tutoring
• Communications
• Education
• Youth Development
• Community Organization
• Team Work
• General Skills