HAMPDEN, Maine — Sixth graders at Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden are starting to learn about the ins and outs of farming. These lesson plans will continue throughout the entire school year.
Stacy LaBree, a sixth grade teacher at the middle school, is one of the organizers of this new program.
"It is growing great minds through nourishment, education, and community,"
LaBree said the program will teach students in-depth lesson plans about the agriculture industry that for some is happening right in their own backyards.
"We kicked it off last week with what we call 'Cow Palooza,'" LaBree said.
Cow Palooza involved games and competitions between classrooms to introduce students to dairy farming.
Each classroom has adopted its own cow that students are able to watch grow and develop as they learn more about the dairy farming process.
"I've never really farmed or done anything really with farming, so I'm really excited to like learn about that," Kelsey Ball, a sixth grader at the middle school, said.
Lessons begin with the early stages of a calf's life.
"They start out 80 pounds and then they grow into this 1,000 pound animal," Elsa Ewer, a sixth grader at the middle school, said.
Kathy Kittridge, school nutrition director, said they're looking into how they can work in the "farm to school" aspect.
"We've been trying to implement more farm-to-school items into our menus," Kittridge said.
The school partners with a farm in northern Maine to bring in local food items every week.
Kittridge added they also hired another cook this year to incorporate more cooking from scratch.
"It's healthier, less sodium and sugar and fat," Kittridge said.
"I think it's good to know where it comes from so it's not just like a random farm out in the middle of nowhere, but its definitely cool that its local," Ewer said.
Danielle McKinley, sixth grade science teacher at the middle school, said it's all for a greater purpose.
"It's wonderful for the kids to be exposed to not only where their food comes from but I think it's an industry that doesn't get enough light shined on it," McKinley said.
"There's a lot of careers in Maine that revolve around agriculture, and so we want to keep our children here in Maine and have them prosper and be successful," LaBree added.
These lessons will continue throughout the year with plans for students to even be able to go their own plants in class.
"It's a great way to just show how much we love this state that we live in," McKinley said.