USDA Farm to School Grant Awarded to Historic Johnson Farm
Historic Johnson Farm is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant.
The federal Farm to School grant program supports initiatives that connect U.S. school children with farms and farming. Nationwide, the program awarded 154 grants this year; Historic Johnson Farm was one of only two grant recipients in the state of North Carolina.
This grant will create a rare opportunity for Henderson County Public Schools teachers. For the next two years, small groups of HCPS 8th grade teachers will spend time at Historic Johnson Farm and other farm sites redesigning some of their classroom lesson plans so they can be taught as hands-on projects at the Farm. Teachers will receive training and coaching support from state-wide educational consulting company, Constructive Learning Design. During the year-long experience, HCPS 8th grade students will also come to the Farm and test-drive the lesson plans their teachers have developed.
“This grant is so great because it will create a lot of opportunities for HPCS students, especially students who are a little older, to come and learn here on the Farm.” says HJF Executive Director, Mandy Gibson.
Titled “RootEd in Food and Farm,” this new project is a partnership between Historic Johnson Farm, Henderson County Public Schools, and Constructive Learning Design. HJF also would like to thank UNC Asheville’s Office of Postsecondary Planning and Preparation for their support and technical assistance in making this opportunity possible for HCPS teachers and students.
Historic Johnson Farm is located at 3346 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, NC 28791. It features 15 acres of forest, fields, and streams, 10 historic structures, animals and picnic tables. The farm was a gift to schoolchildren and the community by the late Vernon and Leander Johnson.
For more information, call 828-891-6585 or visit www.historicjohnsonfarm.org or www.facebook.com/HistoricJohnsonFarm
