By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

HUNTSBURG, Ohio — In most schools, learning involves a textbook and a teacher. But at Hershey Montessori School in northeastern Ohio, learning isn’t complete without hands-on experiences, and a farm provides plenty of hands-on opportunities.

Hershey Montessori School is comprised of two campuses. The Concord campus opened in 1978 and serves infants through elementary school. The Huntsburg campus, with its school-farm, opened in 2000 and serves adolescents ages 12-15.

“The farm is a specially prepared environment that creates these wonderful opportunities for an adolescent to practice making choices and taking on real responsibilities and accountability in an adult world,” said Head of School Paula Leigh-Doyle. “They will learn to use all of the disciplines in subject areas as they work on the farm.”

The Huntsburg campus is a farm model based on Dr. Maria Montessori’s writing in 1948 about a program she termed “Erdkinder,” which means “land children.” Montessori saw that adolescents’ development would thrive if they could learn how to become adults, managing increased responsibility through living and learning on a small farm.

The average enrollment at this school is 50. As with any other school for children in this age group there are classroom studies such as math, science, history, dance and drama. In addition, the farm offers students hands-on experience with plants, animals, barn repairs, stall cleaning, shearing and so much more.

On weekends they sell produce at the local farmers’ market and make wood products in the wood shop. What’s learned in the classroom has tie-ins with the farm.

“The school is about the adolescent, it is not about farming,” Doyle said, “but a farm environment is a perfect place for an adolescent to practice to become who he or she is to become as an adult.”

Officials at the school say having the farm nearby provides for hands-on experience and leads to deeper understanding. It ensures the students take care of themselves, their community and many of the lives that surround them.
Farm duties include growing and cooking their own food, managing natural resources, caring for dependents (animals, in this case), overseeing a budget and operating a business (they sell many woodcrafted items), repairing and maintaining the facilities on the farm and providing services to neighbors.
 “A student, for example, might be involved in a project where they are going to purchase a new cow for the farm and it dips into content from lots of possible academic areas,” said Head Teacher Laurie Ewert-Krocker.

“They’ll apply natural science, economics and math because they’ll measure, estimate, tally up costs and make projections. It tips into the language arts because they’re going to communicate these needs to a vet, write a proposal to the (student) community, then research and write a manual for the care of the cow.”

Other farm chores include tending the gardens, helping with births and bottle feeding, attending vet visits, going to the feed mill, working in the bioshelter, stacking firewood, milking goats, collecting and cleaning eggs and making baked goods.

Some students make candles, baskets, wreaths and maple syrup as part of the school’s microeconomy business.

“The students are all involved in multidisciplinary projects,” Krocker said. “On any given afternoon you might see students replacing stalls or in the woods measuring trees and gathering wood management data on the density of our maple forest. Or you might see biology students in the bioshelter doing plant experiments.”

Overseeing action outside the classroom is Farm Manager Jim Ewert-Krocker.
“When you’re talking about adolescence, the social development is the number-one thing you need to address,” he said. “The students will work on just about anything in a social context, whether it’s cleaning the barn, making maple syrup or cooking in the kitchen.”

Hershey Montessori School, nestled in a wooded area, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) school with a governing board composed of parents, educators and community representatives.

“With the work and experience, the children get an emotional attachment to the land,” Doyle said. “When the children leave there I firmly believe they will be stewards of the land.”