Thriving Together
Student F.A.R.M. Club Plants First Crop at Laguna
Experiential learning. Sustainability. Community partnerships. Healthy eating. Shortly after arriving at Laguna Blanca this past summer, Director of College Counseling Matt Struckmeyer went hunting for ways to make these themes blossom. He found it in Laguna's new sustainable Student F.A.R.M. Club. As Struckmeyer notes, the farm offers more than a chance to learn about plant and soil science. It gives students the entrepreneurial skills needed to create local partnerships and bring fresh vegetables to the community.
“All I did was provide a little push and bring to bear my experience with student-run clubs,” explains Struckmeyer. Thanks to a collaboration with Laguna parent and sustainability visionary Kendra Sabino, veteran Middle School Garden Leader Landon Neustadt, and Science Department Chair Staci Richard, the gardens and the F.A.R.M. (Funding Agriculture Resource Management) Club have emerged and students now have nearly 450 cubic feet of rich soil that is ready for production. Matt also sees the club as a pathway to selective colleges, most of which have similar farm programs that require skilled volunteers.
Most importantly, the F.A.R.M. Club will serve as a way to bring the community together. It operates as an Upper School club and links to the Middle and Lower Schools, as those students will also have the opportunity to watch the produce grow near Spaulding Auditorium, as well as behind the Middle School science buildings. From a practical standpoint, students will be contributing to the community’s wellbeing; the goal is to harvest from the farm and provide healthy, local produce for the Laguna community. The first harvest of lettuce, kale, bok choy, and broccoli should be ready in mid January!
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“All I did was provide a little push and bring to bear my experience with student-run clubs,” explains Struckmeyer. Thanks to a collaboration with Laguna parent and sustainability visionary Kendra Sabino, veteran Middle School Garden Leader Landon Neustadt, and Science Department Chair Staci Richard, the gardens and the F.A.R.M. (Funding Agriculture Resource Management) Club have emerged and students now have nearly 450 cubic feet of rich soil that is ready for production. Matt also sees the club as a pathway to selective colleges, most of which have similar farm programs that require skilled volunteers.
Most importantly, the F.A.R.M. Club will serve as a way to bring the community together. It operates as an Upper School club and links to the Middle and Lower Schools, as those students will also have the opportunity to watch the produce grow near Spaulding Auditorium, as well as behind the Middle School science buildings. From a practical standpoint, students will be contributing to the community’s wellbeing; the goal is to harvest from the farm and provide healthy, local produce for the Laguna community. The first harvest of lettuce, kale, bok choy, and broccoli should be ready in mid January!
Laguna Blanca School is grateful to the Sabino family for their generous gift to launch this exciting new program that will allow our students--now and in the future--the opportunity to “pay it forward” by teaching others about the principles of sustainability. Students can practice giving back to the land through the production of organic compost, as well as giving back to others—both of which create fertile ground for growth.
Community
Laguna Blanca is Santa Barbara’s premier private, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students in Early Kindergarten through Grade 12.