2024 Mass. Farm to School Institute Fall Retreat

This September, we held our annual Massachusetts Farm to School Institute Fall Retreat at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester, bringing together six school teams from across the state who are participating in a year-long professional development opportunity. This year’s participants included teams from Frontier Regional School District, Chicopee Public Schools, Nauset Regional School District, Salem Public Schools, Jacob Hiatt Magnet School (Worcester Public Schools), and Falmouth Public Schools. Each team arrived ready to develop their own unique vision for integrating farm to school programming into their school communities. 

Over two days, attendees participated in workshops, team-building exercises, and collaborative planning sessions. Each team worked with a dedicated coach to create a vision statement and a customized action plan, laying the foundation for their farm to school programs. The retreat emphasized the “3 Cs” of farm to school—Classroom, Cafeteria, and Community—providing inspiration and practical ideas to integrate farm fresh food, experiential learning, and community partnerships into each school’s plan.

The event opened with an dynamic panel featuring inspiring farm to school practitioners from across Massachusetts including Sasha Palmer, Food Service Director from Brookline Public Schools, Elizabeth Kaplan, K-8 Science and Farm to School Coordinator from Watertown Public Schools, and Bryan Jersky, Farm to School Coordinator for Northampton Public Schools. They each shared real-life examples of how farm to school initiatives are thriving in their districts. One school administrator in attendance noted, “I learned a lot from all three presenters. They grounded my overall understanding of farm to school and revealed the potential of our efforts.”

Workshops were tailored to support the varied roles of participants, covering topics like School Gardens & Experiential Learning, Integrating Local Food into Menus, Curriculum-Based Farm to School Connections, and Community-Wide Engagement. Teams were encouraged to split up and attend different sessions and then share what they learned with each other. One participant reflected on the impact of the workshops, saying, “I was struck by the importance of seeking out foods our families and students from diverse or underrepresented cultures connect with to ensure a sense of identity and belonging in school.”

For dinner, attendees participated in a group pizza-making activity and ice cream social—an opportunity to connect and unwind at the end of a full day. The meal included foods from mission aligned companies including pizza made with local grains from The Good Crust and a local field pea fritter produced by Boston-based Commonwealth Kitchen. 

On Friday morning participants heard from the retreat’s keynote speaker, Ludia Modi, Director of Learning and Programs at The Food Project, who emphasized the importance of youth involvement in farm to school initiatives. Modi challenged participants to consider ways to empower students, making them active participants in the farm to school work within their schools. Her message resonated strongly with the group, with one educator sharing, “I loved this! It felt really relevant to my work, and I loved the clarity of the presenter and her passion.”

During the afternoon, participants engaged in hands-on Learning Journeys that brought farm to school concepts to life. Learning Journeys included, “Getting Your Hands into the Garden,” “Composting: From Seed to Soil and Back Again,” “Culinary Fun: Teaching & Team Building with Local Foods,” “From Seed to Bread,” and “Art and Reflection in the Garden.” Participants were able to experience the joy and educational potential of these activities, gaining first hand knowledge of how to bring this work back to their students. One attendee shared, “Art in the School Garden was a super fun workshop. It brought such a diversity of ages and interests together. We will definitely be trying these activities at our school events.”

Supported by knowledgeable coaches, enthusiastic presenters, and a supportive network of peers, each team left the retreat energized and ready to bring their farm to school visions to life. A classroom educator praised the experience, saying, “Overall, I feel that my team is now ready to tackle the work ahead of us, and we will be champions of Farm to School in our buildings!” This year’s cohort plans to implement changes that span the school cafeteria, classroom, and community—building partnerships, enhancing curricula, and bringing more locally sourced food to students across Massachusetts.

For those interested in participating in the 2025-26 Institute, applications will open in Spring 2025. Stay connected with Massachusetts Farm to School for updates on how to apply and get involved in the farm to school movement by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.