Henry Got Crops! Vegetables in Saul Cafeteria

After a few years of dreaming about it, and then an entire year of actively pursuing it, we have just recently been approved as an official vendor for the School District of Philadelphia in order to sell produce to the Saul cafeteria (Fan fare! Fireworks!). This is a very exciting step for everyone! The farmers and farm educators are proud, the students are excited, the school district is supportive and the Saul staff are thrilled. Students from Saul can already get free produce to take home from the raised beds  which they tend with Clare and Tara as part of the Henry Got Crops farm education programs; and now this is yet another way we can get healthy, fresh produce which the students themselves help grow, into their mouths. We are starting small with this new plan, in order to work out the kinks. We will try various types of vegetables to see what works best for the cafeteria staff and what is most well received by the students. We will deliver just a case or two of vegetables a week until the winter sets in, and then one or two smaller deliveries a month of salad greens from the hoop houses during the winter. However we hope deliveries can be bigger and more regular once the spring starts up again and we can specifically plan for the cafeteria’s needs. Everything that goes into the cafeteria must be on the approved menu, which was created by a school district dietician. This never would have been possible without the willingness and support from the Saul principal, the cafeteria staff, and of course the Food Services of the Philadelphia School District.

Saul HS and PHeaST

Two weeks ago Channel 6 news came to the farm to interview teacher Jess McAtamney and her class. Jess was recently awarded the Champion of Change award for her leadership as one of the advisors to the FFA (formerly known as the Future Farmers of America) chapter at Saul High School. Jess received recognition of her honor at the White House last week.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8834632

Gardening at Southern for a PHeaST

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) hosted a fundraiser last Friday, October 19^th at the Navy Yard. Urban farmers were paired with restaurants to provide locally grown ingredients for dishes that were tasted by participants. PHS is a long standing partner with Weavers Way and Henry Got Crops. Matt and Chris from the Henry Got Crops staff represented our farm at the event. The other farm mentioned in the article, in addition to HGC, is the farm at South Philly High, started by Molly Devinney, Henry Got Crops Apprentice in 2011.

Saul HS in the News

The Inquirer has caught on to the talent as Saul High School and has recently run two great stories showcasing the great people and unique qualities of the school.

At Saul High, Talented Crop of Students, Saturday, October 20th

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20121021_At_Saul_High__talented_crop_of_students.html?page=2&c=y

Here is an excerpt: "There's no other place like this," Bonaparte said of the Roxborough school, set on busy Henry Avenue with cars whizzing by.

True. At no other city school are there two farmers on staff. Nowhere else in the Philadelphia School District will you find students hauling 50-pound feed bags, driving tractors, harvesting eggplant, studying milk produced on site for bacteria, and caring for horses.

(It also has Pennsylvania's largest chapter of FFA, the organization formerly known as Future Farmers of America, and one of the biggest chapters in the country, FFA officials confirmed.)

One of a handful of agricultural high schools nationwide, Saul is one of the largest of its kind. It's long been a below-the-radar gem, a well-regarded city magnet school.

But lately, Saul has been on a roll.

Junior Isaiah Nelson, an aspiring botanist from West Oak Lane, recently won a state agriculture science fair and is headed to nationals - the first Saul student to do so.

And teacher Jessica McAtamney, who has helped develop a large community-supported agricultural (CSA) program at the school, just returned from the White House, where she was honored as a "Champion of Change" for her work with Saul students.”

The school offers multiple Advanced Placement courses, and 75 percent of its graduates go on to college. Last year's top student is attending Cornell University's agriculture school.…

The school, which requires strong grades for admission, has a diverse student body - 63 percent African American, 23 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic. Ten percent of its students require special-education services, and 62 percent are considered economically disadvantaged.

Many pupils travel on multiple buses for an hour or more a day to get to Saul. The school has an open campus, with students moving among buildings on both sides of Henry Avenue several times a day.

Saul students said they find themselves picking up bits of knowledge they never knew they would be acquiring such as: "You can feel it when a cow steps on your toe, even if you're wearing steel-toed boots," Bonaparte said. And: When the lettuce you grew at the school appears in your salad in the cafeteria, you feel a particular sense of pride. Also: Animals need to be fed and cared for, even when the weather is bad.

"I walked my sheep in the rain, hail, and snow," said senior Debbie Mayo.

The spotlight is nice, said McAtamney. And so is a renewed focus on urban agriculture.

"It's been happening at Saul for so long," McAtamney said. "But now it's hip, which is great for us."

From the Perspective of a Student

My first day at the C.S.A was an amazing experience. I learned a lot about the different fruits and vegetables they grew. My favorite vegetable that the C.S.A produce is carrots. I learned that the part of the carrot we eat is in the ground like potatoes. After the vegetables we weeded. The most important step before you start is to make sure your wearing long pants and goggles. Starting up the weed whacker was the hardest part because it took a lot of strength. Before you pull the string you have to turn it on and pump the primer. Then you pull the string to start the motor. Once i started weeding i couldn’t stop. It was so fun and it wasn’t an easy job. Most of my classmates complained because of the heat but I didn’t care. Hopefully i can do it again. The C.S.A was both fun and educational. This was one of the most exciting experience of my life. Maybe in the future i can own a farm and produce my own crops.

Sierra Davis- incoming Freshman, class of 2014

Philadelphia Youth Network Partners with Henry Got Crops!

For the second year now we have partnered with the Philadelphia Youth Network to offer summer employment for students at Saul. Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) is a nonprofit that encourages job training for youth by providing funds to organizations like ours who in turn hire youth to work with them. It’s a great way to offer summer employment to students while introducing them to the ins and outs of what it takes to work on a farm. We are privileged to be working with two great students from Saul this summer. They have been working hard, side by side with us since the beginning of July and will work a total of 6 weeks at the farm. Vicky and Yona have endured the 100 degree weather of July, helped us harvest record amounts of squash and cucumbers and are helping us save our tomatoes with hours and hours of pruning and trellising to get them up off the ground so they can grow more productively. We have been blown away with their level of maturity, curiosity in urban farming and endurance in working long, hard days. I would go on, but I’ll hold back and save some room so they can introduce themselves!

Vicky
Hi, my name is Victoria and I work for my school. I and another intern are learning the ups and downs of growing your own crops. While working here I've learned that tomatoes get diseases really fast and that the leaves on the squash can make you break out if you don't have sleeves! Let me tell you a little about myself. I am 5'2”, brown eyes and black hair. I like eating yellow carrots and love drinking peach and raspberry tea. I try to be more independent than people think, because I am growing up I think I want to do more things on my own. I also like the color green and the color purple. I enjoy the twilight series (team Jacob)! lol. I am a free spirit, and like crafty things. I think my motto would be “it is what it is.” I like picking blackberries and raspberries too.

Yona
Hi, I’m Yona. I’m a summer intern at Henry Got Crops. I’m a sophomore at W.B. Saul. I’m a gemini, 15, and I’m majoring in food science. What I want to get out of the internship is to learn more about urban organic farming. Also, to meet new interesting people. So far, I think I've gotten just that. I like farming because I get to interact with people every day and I like being part of a team. Also, growing local organic vegetables. I was born and raised in Philadelphia. Love the city and culture and super excited about farming over the summer.

W.B. Saul FFA Member to Conduct Ag Research in India

In February 2010, Jenna Moser, W.B. Saul FFA Member (Future Farmers of America), received an offer that presented her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; she had been offered an internship with the World Food Prize.
The World Food Prize was conceived by 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dr. Norman E. Borlaug. This prestigious award has recognized outstanding individuals who have made life-changing contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world. IN 1990, John Ruan, Des Moines businessman and philanthropist, took on the sponsorship of The Prize and established the World Food Prize Foundation, located in Des Moines, Iowa.
Each year the World Food Prize selects 16 high school students to receive the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship. Moser was one of the individuals chosen. The all-expense-paid, eight-week hands-on experience provides youth the opportunity to work with world renowned scientists and policymakers at leading research centers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Moser will be stationed at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai, India.
“I hope to gain a better understanding, appreciation and insight into other cultures,” Moser said. “I think it’s going to be really interesting to see and live in a completely different environment. I’m a bit nervous that I will only know myself when I get there, but I know this is going to be a life-changing experience.”
Before she was chosen for the internship, Moser was planning to run for Pennsylvania State FFA Office in June. She has chosen to defer running for one year in order to go through with the internship. In the fall, she will continue her education at Penn State, Main Campus studying agriculture education with a minor in international agriculture. In June 2011, Moser plans to stick with her dream in acquiring a Pennsylvania FFA State Office.
Upon return from India, Moser will submit a research report and reflection paper documenting their research project. “I never knew how severe the global food crisis and other devastating agriculture issues were. Now, I want to help, especially the farmers.”
Moser departs for her internship on June 19, just five days after her high school graduation. She will return August 17, not leaving much time between then and when she will begin classes at Penn State University.
Moser was one of the initial students that worked on and conceived “Henry Got Crops”. She will represent Philadelphia helping to bring low input sustainable agriculture to both the World Food Prize and India.

Student Involvement this Fall

This fall we have had four classes from Saul that have been coming out to the farm on a weekly basis. The Agroecology class, the Landscape Design class, and two of the Aquaculture classes. Here are some of the jobs on the farm they have been learning about and helping us with:

• Pest management of Harlequin beetles
• Potato digging
• Clearing beds that are no longer producing
• Doing final harvests of crops before the frost
• Turning beds and planting cover crop of rye and clover
• Laying down black plastic and mulch for weed suppression
• Building a hoop house
• Building a vermin-compost bin
• Winnowing seed for seed saving
• Drying flowers
• Staffing pick-up
• Staffing the farm stand on Henry Ave.

Thank you to all the students who have helped this year!

Meet (more) Students!

Last week you met a few of the students in this semester’s Agroecology class. Here are a few more biographies of students who help us on the farm every week. While working with the students we take time to talk about why we are doing the work in the way that we are, and how this farm is an example of ecological agriculture. Some of the students have worked with us on the farm or in the hoop house before, and some are coming out to the farm for the first time.

Matthew Murphy
My name is Matthew Murphy and I am a junior at W.B. Saul High School. I have taken part in the CSA for educational purposes for my Agroecology class. I have learned about all the plants that we grow and what steps they have to take in order to produce a sufficient amount of the specific crop. Some of the crops that are grown in the CSA garden are tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, eggplant, broccoli, squash and lettuce. I learned about a harlequin beetle that is harmful to broccoli plants and how we should properly dispose of them. I have enjoyed being a part of this program and hope to learn more about it as I progress more into the year. I have been planting vegetables with my dad since I was 7 years old. Our garden consists of tomatoes, eggplants, cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers. My project for the CSA is to grow champion collards and great lake lettuce.

Sam Sterling
Hello, my name is Samantha Sterling. I am a student at W.B. Saul high school. My school is like other schools because we have all the normal classes like math, English, gym, science, and Spanish. But our school has a catch- we have a farm across the street from the actual school building, including cows, sheep, horses, and even a huge area where we grow crops. In our school, instead of having computer classes, or carpentry classes, or singing or art class, we have agriculture, which is a special class because classes, or carpentry classes, or singing or art class, we have agriculture, which is a special class because in most of the agricultural classes, we do not have to be in the actual class room to learn, we can be in the small animal lab, or in the dog kennel, down at the pond, or even across the street with the animals or the crops. My major for agriculture in my school is natural resource management. The class I am in now is called Agroecology. Being in this class is getting me to help with the CSA, the "Henry Got Crops" and is also preparing me and giving me more information on my major which I will need to finish this school year and my last year with Saul. Since the CSA does not use harmful chemicals, one day in class we needed to control pests so what we did was literally squish the harlequin beetle, that way they did not eat away our crops, making our farm not able to give food to our school's community. In our Agroecology class we are actually working on a big project as a class to clean out more land from weeds and pests for the CSA and for our class to have our own section that we can say, "Hey! That’s where my class grew all of those crops. We turned the soil, made the rows, planted the seeds, took care of the crops, we have done the whole 9 yards, and now you are eating the crops that we have grown. We have learned things that normal high school students wouldn't be able to learn and we are proud of it." I sure know I am. Even if I don’t become something involving agriculture right on, say I want to become a 8th grade teacher, what I can do is tell my students all about Saul if they want to go there, even though I most likely won’t become a teacher. Whenever I get the chance I talk about my school, because all my friends that do not go to Saul high school always tell me, "school’s boring" and "the teacher does not help" and "I don’t know what I want to do when I go up." Then they get me talking and I say "I love my school and the teachers do whatever they can to help,” and I tell them that I know what I want to be when I grow up.

Mike Hurley
My name is Mike Hurley. I am majoring in Natural Resource Management at Saul High School. We are working with the CSA and it is helping us with the learning of crops and how to take care of the different types of crops. Also when we work the CSA we learn about the crops people have never heard of before and learn many new things about it too. If we want to know something we just ask a question and they answer it no problem. We have planted our own types of crops like Great Lakes Lettuce and Champion Collards. Outside of school I have planted my own crops and they were peppers and tomatoes. To maintain the crops we have to pull weeds and kill the bugs that are infesting them. The bugs that we had to kill were called the Harlequin beetle and they were infesting the broccoli. My favorite crop that they are growing in the garden is the Habanero pepper because if you take a bite your mouth will be on fire for the next hour. They grow all sorts of things like lettuce, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, watermelon and more. The CSA is helping us learn many things about growing crops and maintaining them.

Meet the Students!

The eleventh graders in the agroecology class this semester at Saul have written introductions about themselves and their feelings on their school and this project. They come out to work on the farm every week, and we have a great time working with them. Say hello to those of them who volunteer to staff the pickup tent on Tuesdays and Fridays! We cannot fit all the profiles into this week’s newsletter, so look for more next week.

Kiara
My name is Kiarra C. Warren. I'm a junior at Saul High School and a small animal science major. Working with the CSA has been a wonderful experience. Being able to do so much hands on work is really helpful and fun. I've obtained so much knowledge about different veggies. They've introduced me to many new things, such as new bugs, vegetables, even weeds. Being able to learn what I should eat to stay healthy and have fun while doing it is great!
My experience at Saul High School has been amazing. This school has taught me things I never thought a Public High School could. Being able to come to a school like this is such a privilege. I'm able to do things that I enjoy doing, things that are going to have a positive input on my future. Ever since I was in the 5th grade I wanted to come to Saul. I was afraid that I wasn't going to get in but I did, and here I am.
Working with the CSA and planting my own vegetables like swiss chard, mesculun, champion collards etc. Learning interesting facts about them from people that are so educated. This Partnership is just Amazing!

Ian
My name is Ian, I'm a junior at W.B. Saul, and I help with the CSA. I help by growing vegetables for my agricultural class. I've worked on this project since sophomore year, when I helped make the beds for the crops, helped set up the green house, and helped plant the crops. This year, I've helped remove the weeds in what will soon be more beds for more crops for the CSA.

Jamal
Hi! My name is Jamal and I’m a student at W.B Saul and I have been tending the Weavers Way crops you now receive. I have learned much from Weavers Way and plan to learn more. I have learned what zones and areas certain crops need to grow, what water and nutrients they need, and even some of their pests. I also learned how to control and get rid of the pest the crops may have. The worst part of the CSA is, if a crop has a pest, how to control it. It’s harder to control pests from the crops because no chemicals are used, so you have to prevent the problem before it occurs. I look forward to working in a similar field as Weavers Way, or maybe even with them. I also learned physical labor like digging rows and raised beds, how to cultivate, and how to pick harlequin beetles. The main thing I learned was where our food comes from and how it is grown, packaged, and sold. Throughout the short period of time I have participated with Weavers Way they have taught me a lot and I have learned a lot and I look forward into working more with Weavers Way, and going into a field or one similar.

Anthony
My name is Anthony Clark. I'm a junior at Walter Biddle Saul High School.
My major in this school is large animals. The best things I love about Saul is the people, a handful of teachers I like, and the different large and small animals. For the 3 years I've been in this school I received nothing but good grades in agriculture. 9th grade I messed up due to my homework, in which I chose not to do it due to laziness and that was pretty much on of the biggest regrets in my life, but now that I'm older I'm no longer lazy and I'm on point with my work. This being my third year at this school I truly learned a lot. When I hear the word CSA, AKA "Community Supported Agriculture" I think that in general is a big step to changing agriculture. The agriculture class I'm in right now, we pretty much change what our school looks like as far as trash and recyled items are concerned. In my teachers Mrs. Naugle’s perspective, I'm guessing, she really wants our community to be clean. In this class we've collected recycled items and trash, and done planting, and working out on our field using a lot of tools. The CSA has allowed me to do a lot of interesting work like work with plants, and feeds off it. I'm proud to be working with the CSA because it taught me a lot of stuff I never knew at all. I'm not really sure that I'll pursue a career in the CSA, but if I did I would take the job seriously. I believe that working with the CSA in general can change the world in so many ways.

Vegetable Facts

This graphic was created by Amanda Bonacci, one of our Saul High School summer interns. Amanda will be in 12th grade next year.

What is Farming?

By Dana Kilgarriff

Dana is one of the five students from Saul working with us this summer. She is employed through the Philadelphia Youth Network and is just wrapping up her 6 week internship at Henry Got Crops! Last year she also worked with us at the Weavers Way Farm at the Awbury Arboretum. She will be a Junior this fall at Saul.

What is farming? This could be explained as planting plants and harvesting them. If I didn’t know better that would be true, but as I entered W.B Saul H.S my ignorance was switched to knowledge. I thought it was easy and not much work. Boy was I wrong when Saul and Weavers Way farmers enlightened me.

I needed an agriculture job to place in my already busy schedule. My teacher / coach Naugle (now called McAtamney) and work-ready helped me get a job. Surprised a lot of people think I’m a plant girl? The truth is that maybe I am. The farmers taught me so much from preparing beds, harvesting, identification, and techniques.
I started my first week of a 6-week period spectacle to see if I would like it. As the week passed I started to settle in and enjoy myself. I even earned a self-proclaimed nickname, “a weeding machine.” On the serious side I will say that I truly learned what farming is first hand and personal.

This year I had a chance to work at an animal based job, but I asked Naugle to go back with Weavers Way again. I started this 6-week period confident and ready to farm the real way on fields of endless rows that need constant assistance.

Meet Farm Aarion Warren

Aarion Warren is a student at Saul and will be going into the 10th grade this fall. He is 14 years old and lives in Germantown. His major at Saul is Landscape Design. He is on the football team and next year will be joining the bowling team at Saul. His favorite vegetable is collard greens.

Experiences in the Saul Summer Program

Each year, incoming freshmen attend a 4 week introductory program at Saul in either July or August. Emily just completed her summer program earlier this month.

By: Emily Winterberger

Going to an introductory Summer Program for Agriculture has changed how I feel about everything in the Agricultural way of life. I never knew how much Agriculturists had to do before I came into this program. I've learned a selection of different types of weeds and vegetables. (Along with the different types of animals that I had never knew before.)

I enjoyed this experience because I helped the CSA, knowing that the vegetables generated by picking the weeds will sure enough be in peoples homes. I've learned very much in the past 3 weeks, and I'm keeping my ears open to learn much more. I would like to thank the CSA group for allowing me to come in and learn and do things at a beginner level. Knowing now that I can accomplish helping in Agriculture, I would surely like to help again.

The ways I thought I knew of Agriculture have changed dramatically. I now take Agriculture more seriously, because without Agriculture, where would America be? I have more respect for the plants growing in the ground because I know someone took the time to plant it, and the farmers around America, because I know how much hard work they have to do just to make a living. I now feel like I have become closer with the surroundings around me.

Agriculture has its ways of ups and downs. Hours in the blazing sun, tilling and hoeing dirt, picking weeds in the corn fields, to enjoying the fresh food you've just picked or seeing a beautiful garden come to life.

The Summer Agriculture Program, was well worth it to me.

Meet Farmer Amanda Bonacci

Amanda is going to be a Senior at Saul this fall. She is 16 years old and lives just around the corner in Roxborough. She is an Environemntal Science major and enjoys writing. She is also a member of Saul’s volleyball team. She has been involved with the CSA from the very beginning, as she helped create the brochure for Henry Got Crops! last fall.

Meet Farmer Dana Kilgariff

This week marks the first week that we will have four students from Saul working with us for 20 hrs a week for the next 6 weeks. They are working with us through the Philadelphia Youth Network program which connects high school students with summer employment opportunities. These students have worked with us during the school year and now will continue helping out on the farm throughout the summer.

Dana Kilgariff

Dana is going to be junior at Saul this fall. She is 18 years old and lives in West Philly. She is an Animal Science major and wants to go continue to work in large animal science after high school. She rides horses and likes to read when she is not in school. She is part of the cross-country running tam and the softball team at Saul. Dana is the only member of our farming team that can boast that she has completed a marathon! She was an intern with Weavers Way Farm last summer at the Awbury Arboretum.

Circling up for some pre-farming discussion

Prepping the upper field

A bit about Saul

By Nina Berryman

I’m sure by now you are all beginning to realize Saul is not your ordinary high school. In addition to taking “regular” academic classes, students at Saul choose a concentration in one of the following majors: Food Science, Floriculture and Greenhouse Management, Landscape Design, Large Animal Science, Natural resource Management, and Small Animal Science/Vet Tech. Students have the opportunity to shear sheep, work with machinery and manage greenhouses. They can take classes in aquaculture and landscape construction. They learn how to lay brickwork (we can thank the students for the new patio in our pick-up area), make salsa, and milk cows. According to one student I spoke with, they sometimes have to take the bus home smelling like manure! The more time I spend at Saul, the more I daydream about sitting in on some classes over the winter when the farming season dies down. I could brush up on my welding skills or see what it takes to design and build a breathtaking exhibit for the Flower Show.

The school was founded in 1943 as the Wissahickon Farm School. In 1958 the current agriculture building was finished and the school was renamed The Philadelphia High School of Agriculture and Horticulture. In 1966 the name was changed one last time to honor W. B. Saul who was an early patron for the school. Saul High School includes more than 150 acres and is currently the largest agricultural high school in the U.S. After some quick research, I have only been able to find one other urban agricultural high school in the U.S., and that is in Chicago. There are about 15 agriculture teachers, 20 academic teachers, two farmers (not Nicole and I), and a mechanic. I can personally vouch for the pride among the students and staff for being members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA); and it comes as no surprise that Saul is the largest single-school member of the FFA in the world. Of the two national FFA positions that have been filled by African-Americans, both were Saul students.