Meet the 2022-2023 Institute Teams!

The Maine Farm to School Network housed at HCCA is launching Maine’s 1st Farm to School Institute in 2022-2023 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 will support school districts to develop a community-based, holistic farm & sea to school action plan to support local food purchasing, school gardens, food systems education, and more.

Congratulations to the first teams for the 2022-2023 school year! Each of these applicants is poised to be a leader in farm and sea to school and will have robust middle and high school student engagement:

·       RSU 22 (Hampden, Newburgh, Winterport, & Frankfort); Lead Contact: Kathy Kittridge, RSU 22 School Nutrition Director RSU 22

·       RSU 89 (Katahdin Schools); Lead Contact: Gabrielle Brown, FoodCorps Maine RSU 89

·       MSAD 17 (Oxford Hills); Lead Contact: Sarah Kearsley, Experiential STEM Teacher at Roberts Farm MSAD 17

·       North Haven Community School (K-12); Lead Contact: Shaun Johnson, School Principal North Haven Community School

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 teams will join MFSN Leadership Council members for a virtual Orientation in early June and will begin their Farm to School Action Planning work at the August 16-18 workshop program at River Bend Farm — The Ecology School. More information on these all-star school district teams coming soon!