By: Reka Keller, Director of Communications and Marketing
As a preschool to Grade 8 program guided by the theme of Rooted in Wonder, we will, of necessity, regularly examine our existing curriculum as we seek to live into Green Hedges co-founder Frances Kilmer’s determination “to increase that sense of wonder—to retain the old association between wisdom and magic, grammar and glamor, spelling and spells.” One area where that ongoing work is particularly evident this year is service learning, where we are developing a coherent program that takes Montessori (and older!) students’ wondering about where food comes from, and builds through Lower School and Middle School to explore why some people have less access to healthy food . . . and what to do about it.
Over the past two years, Aaron Cahn, Interim Assistant Head of School and Head of Middle School, has been a driving force in strengthening and articulating our service learning curriculum. His work began at the Middle School level, where he established a partnership with Food for Others, an organization whose mission is to distribute food to neighbors in need by mobilizing volunteers and the giving community. Each month, a small, rotating group of student volunteers prepared and packaged food for neighbors in our community who are experiencing food insecurity. This volunteer experience has been deeply meaningful for our students, fostering a greater awareness of food security issues, increasing empathy, and shaping conversations and behaviors back on campus, where students are increasingly mindful of waste and the value of food.
As last year went on, Mr. Cahn began to see first-hand the impact our students were having. “Green Hedges already had an established canned food drive for Food for Others, so it was an interesting linkage to have our younger students collecting the very same cans our older students were sorting and processing for distribution.” Speaking with a parent who volunteers with organizations combating food insecurity, Mr. Cahn discovered that JK Community Farm in Purcellville provides fresh fruits and vegetables directly to area food banks, including Food for Others, helping to ensure access to healthy food for those who need it most. Mr. Cahn recognized the need for a broader, more connected experience across Green Hedges. “This felt like the perfect time to create a program that fills the years in between the food drive and Middle School service, creating a through-line of service learning,” Mr. Cahn observed, reflecting on the expansion of the program in collaboration with Food for Others and JK Community Farm.
With this new partnership, the Service Learning Program now spans the grade levels at Green Hedges. Montessori students begin by exploring the importance of food and its role in maintaining a healthy and happy life. In Grades 1 and 2, students will organize and promote a food drive for Food for Others, timed to meet greater community needs around the holidays. Grades 3 through 5 will participate in hands-on service by volunteering at JK Community Farm twice a year to help with picking and processing fresh produce, which has already begun. AGrade 3 student who recently had their first experience at the farm shared in reflection, “I really felt like I was helping people when I was there, it made me feel good.” Another student quickly piped up, “Did you know that ginger grows in the ground? We know it now!” Meanwhile, Middle School students will not only volunteer once a year at JK Community Farm, but also minimally once a year at Food for Others, experiencing the journey of food from farm to table. These opportunities to be present at both Food for Others and JK Community Farm help students understand yet another aspect of the challenge of food insecurity.
In this way, Green Hedges students who begin in Montessori and continue through Grade 8 will grow across the grade levels with an age-appropriate, holistic understanding of service, food security, and community impact. Students will see, quite literally, how food moves from root to distribution—and how their hands can make a difference along the way. As one student remarked, “I’ve never had so much fun working so hard!” (Having volunteered at JK Community Farm with the Green Hedges Administrative Team on what might have been the hottest day of the year in July, I certainly share that Grade 4 student’s enthusiastic response.) We look forward to updating families as the year progresses in ways that you and your family can help create a more food-secure Northern Virginia.
