Washington Academy – Farm and Garden – Student Support Specialist

Grow food and community – teach students in a thriving campus garden, fight food insecurity, and help a diverse residential community connect through sustainable agriculture.

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 at home. In 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.

It is preferred that the member live in our dorm and carry out weekly evening dorm duty and monthly weekend duty, with the purpose of bringing awareness to the garden, integrating it into the culture and life of the resident students, and to more readily discern the needs of the students in both nutrition and cultural engagement surrounding sharing food. In “exchange” for free room and board, resident responsibilities include managing a dorm advisory group, chaperoning weekend events once a month, and providing supervision one evening each week. Daily charges include working with students in the garden, providing ongoing presence on campus, detailing needs of the garden to the Healthy Acadia liaison and Assistant Head of school, assisting any  classes that visit the garden, supporting after school clubs who want to work in the garden, and coordinating with support of the Healthy Acadia partner to ensure food is delivered to the food pantry in an acceptable and timely manner.

In addition to AmeriCorps benefits, including a stipend, education award, and health insurance, site benefits include housing in exchange for 1 night a week and 1 weekend a month of duty rotation in the dorm setting, and 6 professional development days alongside faculty and staff.

Already have a MyAmeriCorps account and want to apply for this specific role? You can find that listing on MyAmeriCorps here.