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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2016)
Wednesday, May 25, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 19 BBS students get their hands dirty Black Butte School in Camp Sherman is known for getting students out and about. Over the years, students have traveled to our nation’s capitol and around the state on field trips. This year, new head teacher Delaney Sharp and language arts and humanities teacher Ethan Barrons took on a field studies curriculum that continues the tradition a little closer to home. The Cornerstone Field Studies program is science- based, interdisciplinary and takes place in both classroom and community. Fall studies focused on forestry and for- est management; winter stud- ies looked at water and snow pack. Spring’s focus is on food and farming. “We’re looking at humans and the environment through food production.” said Sharp of the most recent studies. “This is a place- and proj- ect-based curriculum, and it works because we have the freedom to get the whole school out.” The entire school, all 17 students plus teachers and parent helpers, recently visited some local food pro- ducers in Sisters Country. The first stop was Mahonia Gardens and the Seed to Table garden, which share space on the Tehan family property. The next was Willows Ranch, on Indian Ford Road, to learn about grass-finished beef. Mahohia Gardens is a community-supported agri- culture (CSA) garden, run by Benji Nagel and Carys Wilkins. During a brief tour of the garden, Nagel and Wilkins encouraged students to put their observational skills to work and to use their senses while looking at (and occa- sionally tasting) the growing young plants. Just steps away is the Seed to Table garden, which emphasizes food production and healthy living through garden-based education. Program director Audrey Tehan and farm manager Lauren Griswold assigned the students to three learn- ing stations. Tehan got the students looking at compost from a microbe’s perspec- tive, Griswold did taste-tests with various vegetables, and intern Kailin Boyd had the students planting a row of lupines along a fenceline. She explained how lupines, a member of the legume family, improve soil performance by fixing nitrogen in the soil. The older students nodded in understanding while the younger ones enjoyed digging in the dirt. A few days later, the school bus rolled down the driveway at the Willows Ranch. Owned by Jim and Judi Knapp and managed by Allan and Kathryn Godsiff, the ranch has historically had cattle and horses on it. Seven years ago the Godsiffs began a grass-finished beef program similar to what they did in Allan’s native New Zealand. The students first walked through grass growing in the adjacent Forest Service graz- ing allotment. This grass was long and brown from a year’s rest from grazing. The irri- gated ranch pastures, one of which had been just grazed and one that was next on the rotation, were lush and green in comparison. The students were asked to look closely at each type of pasture and note their observations, which would be discussed at the end of the visit. photo by Kathryn godsIff BBS students went to a local farm and a ranch to learn more about where food actually comes from. They also got an up-close The visit concluded with look at this year’s calves, who a sample of ranch beef jerky came over to investigate the and a question-and-answer visitors. time on what the students had The property is managed seen that day. An aspect of using rotational grazing and the field studies program is low-stress cattle management, active journaling, and the stu- so the cattle were curious but dents wrote or illustrated their unconcerned with the group. findings. The students were encouraged A few more trips are on the by their teachers to watch the calendar, and when the term interactions between the cat- is done the students will have tle and the resident flocks of seen gardens, beef cattle, a swallows swooping over the dairy, and pasture-raised hogs pastures eating insects. and chickens. For 45 Years, The Finest Equipment Rental Small-Engine Repair Stihl Sales & Service U-Haul Trucks & Trailers Mini Storage Landscape Materials 541-549-9631 www.SistersRental.com 506 N. Pine St. Sister s Rental When spring rolls around and it’s time to get the yard and landscape in shape, folks in Sisters Country turn to Sisters Rental. They have the tools and equipment to get the job done safely, efficiently and effectively. 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