This year’s host for Maine School Garden Day on Saturday, May 13th, the RSU 22 School Orchard and Garden program spans multiple school buildings, is located in 4 towns (Hampden, Newburgh, Winterport and Frankfort) and covers 2 counties (Penobscot and Waldo). Established in 2010, the program includes: 3 orchards (2 from ReTreeUS), 2 greenhouses, 6 raised beds, 3 traditional outdoor beds plus a honey bee apiary at Hampden Academy, a hydroponic tower and a small aquaponics tank! With a student population of approximately 2200 with 370 staff members, this program is no small potatoes!
Here are some of the RSU 22 School Orchard and Garden program highlights:
- As part of their commitment to sustainability, Hampden Academy and Reeds Brook Middle School ship their compostables to reduce landfill, save fuel, create energy and produce valuable farm products through their partnership with Agricycle Energy. They also use a bulk milk dispenser at Hampden Academy and 2 schools have adopted cows!
- RSU 22 participates in the annual Maine Agriculture in the Classroom’s ReadME program. In 2023 they had 23 classes totalling 430 students registered to participate!
- Offer cooking and eating activities such as hosting Community Suppers, holding taste tests, organizing an apple harvest and cider press at Weatherbee School as well as maple tree tapping at Weatherbee and Wagner Schools to make syrup!
- Planting highlights include a schoolwide garlic plant at the Leroy Smith School , the Yellow Tulip Garden plus a Sensory Garden (touch, smell, feel) at Reeds Brook Middle School.
- Community connections include their Farm Stand at Reeds Brook Middle School as well as the produce they donate to the Hampden Food Cupboard
With all this energy and vision, it comes as no surprise that RSU 22 is one of three inaugural school gardens in the 2022 program of the Maine’s Farm and Sea to School Institute and as a result, they are working hard to connect the school gardens to their curriculum along with promoting local foods and scratch cooking.
Modeled after the Northeast Farm to School Institute in VT in partnership with UMaine School of Food and Agriculture and over 20 collaborating organizations and agencies, this year-long professional learning program supports school districts to develop a community-based, holistic farm and sea to school action plan to support local food purchasing, school gardens, food systems education, and more.
Each team has 5-7 committed representatives from School Nutrition, Teaching Faculty, School Administration, and Community Partners – the key partners for building a sustainable, equitable Farm to School program. The RSU 22 Farm and Sea to School team is made of the the following members:
- Kathy Kittridge, Nutrition Director
- Stacy LaBree, 6th grade teacher
- Danielle McKinley, 6th grade teacher
- Michele D’Amario, Chef
- Susan Thibedeau, Principal
- Dawn Moore, Principal
- Brittany Layman, Director of Health, Wellness and Safety
Want to know more?!
Check them out on Facebook RSU #22 Apple Orchard and School Garden
Brittany Layman is the current Chair of the Maine School Garden Network Board of Directors. She is the Director of Health, Wellness and Safety for RSU 22 in Hampden and grew up in Columbia, ME on a 175 acre horse farm. Her role includes school safety and security, employee wellness and managing a number of school gardens and three orchards.
Email her at blayman@rsu22.us
