Farm Discovery School

Farm Discovery School

COVID Update: To ensure the safety of all participants and staff, Wolfe’s Neck Farm Camp will be following CDC guidelines with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families will be required to fill out a daily health prescreen before arriving on campus, and campers and staff will need to wear masks at all times; the only exceptions will be during snack and lunch time, where participants will be spaced at least six feet apart. All Farm Discovery School programming will take place outside, except for activities occurring in the livestock barns, or in the case of inclement weather, when students may take shelter in some of our large tents. Camp groups will have little to no interaction with each other throughout the day. Wolfe’s Neck Center will provide multiple hand-washing and sanitation stations throughout our campus to promote proper health and safety practices.

This spring, we are partnering again with RSU5 to offer Farm Discovery School. Students from Morse Street and Mast Landing will attend FDS for 11 weeks from March 15-June 4. The program spends 1-2 weeks in each of our five focus areas: animal husbandry, plant-based food production, woods and water ecology, research and science, and outdoor living skills. This time of year is particularly exciting as students will have the opportunity to see the farm come alive as the temperature warms, animals are born, trees bud, and seedlings are planted.

 

Parents: Please check back here for weather and program updates & announcements. 

Meet the Educators

Adrienne Carmack

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Kat Duvall

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Drew Gallant

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Lou Goff

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Joe Gouvin

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Zoe Grodsky

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Karen Hawkes

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Claire Kirby

Farm Discovery School Educator
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Adrienne Carmack

Farm Discovery School Educator

Adrienne (she/her) recently moved back to Maine after working as a voting rights advocate in Arizona for a couple of years. She grew up in the Bangor area and attended Colby College, where she studied Education and Gender Studies. She’s currently a part-time grad student in education policy, and when she’s not at Wolfe’s Neck or studying, she loves, baking, running, cuddling her cat Baxter, and trying home DIY projects.

Kat Duvall

Farm Discovery School Educator

Kat grew up in Auburn, ME and graduated from Colgate University in 2019 with a degree in Biology. She previously worked at Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership. She currently lives in Brunswick with her cat Prosciutto and cares for her numerous plants.

Drew Gallant

Farm Discovery School Educator

Drew is a local, growing up in Brunswick, and has been working in the Outdoor Education field for the past five years. He loves to share his passion of all things nature related! Drew’s favorite animals on the farm are the baby calves! When not teaching, Drew loves to hike, kayak, and travel to new locations. He is very excited to share Wolfe’s Neck Center with everyone!

Lou Goff

Farm Discovery School Educator

Lou grew up in Montana, and then moved east for college in Vermont. After college, she didn’t want to leave the East Coast so she’s been living here ever since. When not at the farm, you’ll find Lou paddling or working on her awesome blue school bus that she turned into a home!

Joe Gouvin

Farm Discovery School Educator

Joe grew up in western MA and moved to Maine after graduating from Skidmore College. Joe has learned so much from spending time outdoors and he can’t wait to help others do the same! When he’s not at the farm, Joe can be found reading, making music, or starting a new woodcraft project.

Zoe Grodsky

Farm Discovery School Educator

Zoe grew up in Watertown, MA and moved to Portland this past fall. She recently graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont where she studied Sociology and Education. When not at the farm, Zoe enjoys caring for her plants, cooking new recipes, and exploring the woods or ocean.

Karen Hawkes

Farm Discovery School Educator

Karen is happy to be back as an educator at Wolfe Neck Center. Raised on a dairy farm, she loves baby calves, cheese, and ice cream. In her spare time, Karen enjoys hiking, cycling, gardening, and walking her dog, Cleo. This spring she is training to be a yoga teacher and is excited to combine her love of nature and mindfulness with children.

Claire Kirby

Farm Discovery School Educator

Claire grew up in Portland and graduated from Smith College in 2019 with a degree in Sociology. After graduating, Claire moved back to Maine where they’ve spent time working in outdoor education, non-profits, and summer camp. They love exploring the outdoors, playing ultimate frisbee, and eating dessert.

Meet the Staff

Molly Cooper

Education Programs Manager
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Michael Messina

Programs and Volunteer Coordinator
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Kaiti Davis

Farm & Garden Coordinator
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Molly Cooper

Education Programs Manager

Growing up, my summers were spent on the coast of Maine at camp, where my passion for the outdoors and experiential learning blossomed. Leadership development was an essential part of life at camp and inspired me to attend Sterling College where I earned my degree in Outdoor Education & Leadership in spring of 2012.

Since then, I have had several opportunities to work in settings connecting kids with the outdoors and managing summer camp programs. Most recently I worked with the YMCA organization, managing their fundraising and grant writing efforts, and sharing stories about the importance of creating healthy lifestyles. After 4 years with the Y, it was time to find a place where I could refocus on youth and create wonderful opportunities to engage them in the natural environment.

Here at Wolfe’s Neck Center, I will be overseeing and managing the Farm Camp Programs, expanding existing offerings, and creating new programs to support our mission. I will also work to build collaborative partnerships within the organization and the local community. I am excited to encourage a strong staff in educating kids on a working farm, in agricultural gardens and exploring nature trails, marshes and the local ecosystem!

I love being outside, exploring new places along the coast and in the mountains; SUP paddling, surf skiing, canoeing, whitewater paddling, camping, hiking, biking, nordic skiing, and anything else Maine has to offer.

Michael Messina

Programs and Volunteer Coordinator

I had a somewhat indoorsy childhood in the near-Chicago suburbs; my first camping trip was a weeklong backpacking trip as a part of my college orientation. I’ve been trying to get back outside ever since, whether it has been for class, work, or play. I graduated from Calvin College in Michigan, double majoring in Environmental Studies and Philosophy, and have been moving from place to place ever since. I have taught basic mountain ecology to the public as a naturalist in Colorado, patrolled campsites as a Recreation Ranger for the Bureau of Land management in eastern Oregon, introduced middle schoolers to the outdoors as a 4H instructor in Bryant Pond, and taught toddlers how to ski at Sunday River before coming to Wolfe’s Neck in Spring of 2019 as a Community and Visitor Programs educator. Now my itinerant days are behind me as I look forward to hunkering down and taking root as the Education Programs Assistant here at Wolfe’s Neck.

When I’m not at Wolfe’s Neck, you can find me birdwatching, climbing fake rocks at the climbing gym, hiking, skiing, or complaining about Chicago sports teams.

Kaiti Davis

Farm & Garden Coordinator
Kaiti’s childhood in North Carolina was punctuated with camping trips to the Blue Ridge Mountains, picking peaches and muscadine grapes, moving box turtles from the middle of the road and exploring the woods behind her house. Being outside has always been a soothing and healing tonic from her and she’s enjoyed sharing that with friends and family, especially kids. Kaiti graduated with her B.S. in Outdoor Experiential Education from Appalachian State University tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina. After graduation, Kaiti promptly moved to Maine to work as an Educator at Baxter State Park. Kaiti fell in love with Maine’s wildness and knew that all paths would eventually lead her back here. After educating and farming up and down the East Coast for nearly ten years, Kaiti’s path lead her to a farm in Maine. Kaiti joined the Wolfe’s Neck Center team first in 2020 as a seasonal Educator and now has transitioned to a full time role as Farm and Garden Coordinator. In this role, Kaiti connects Farm Camp kids and visitors to Wolfe Neck’s Centers’ farming landscape and practices. Wolfe’s Neck Center has provided Kaiti the perfect opportunity to combine her two passions of farming and teaching. To be able to do it on such beautiful property is her absolute dream!
When not at Wolfe’s Neck Center, you can find Kaiti roaming the woods and coastline, weeding her garden, picking flowers, or drinking tea and crocheting.

About FDS

Farm Discovery School was created in the fall of 2020 as a way to support local families while they navigated the hybrid learning model implemented by many school districts. After a few weeks of running the program privately, RSU5 (the district representing Freeport, Pownal, and Durham) reached out to discuss the possibility of a partnership. On days when students would normally be at home doing virtual school, they would instead spend a half day at Wolfe’s Neck and enrich their learning with experiential, farm-based education. With the aid of funding through the CARES Act, this possibility became reality, and almost 200 students joined us at the farm every week during the months of November and December.

FDS in the News

Read the Portland Press Herald’s feature on Farm Discovery School: “Amid COVID restrictions, Wolfe’s Neck offers Freeport kids breath of fresh air – and animals.”

Watch WMTW’s video: “Wolfe’s Neck Center Gives Students a Unique Outdoor Learning Experience.”

Kids arriving at the farm

Questions?

Please contact Michael Messina, Education Programs Assistant, at educationadmin@wolfesneck.org or (207) 865-4469 x106.

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