Academics
Integrative Learning

Farm and Food Studies

Unique Opportunities at Hildene Farm

Creating a Sustainable Future

The mission of Farm and Food Studies is to actively engage students on a working landscape as they build skills to participate in a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future.

Learning at Hildene Farm

Farm and Food Studies students have the unique opportunity to learn on-site at the Hildene Farm. Burr & Burton Academy and Hildene share institutional missions that promote integrity, service, civic responsibility, and sustainability, making for a rich and meaningful programmatic partnership. This partnership allows students to access shared BBA-Hildene Farm education resources, including: farm, forest, wetland, and meadow ecosystems; gardens, pastures, livestock facilities, and a dedicated BBA garden; a state-of-the-art teaching greenhouse; BBA’s
farm classroom in an historic 19th century barn; and the knowledge and passion of working farmers.

In the Farm and Food Studies program, learning is...

List of 3 items.

  • Experiential

    Students learn by doing – from science experiments to harvesting and cooking produce to spring planting with local farmers – and by collaborating with each other and professionals in the community.
  • Interdisciplinary

    Students explore environmental and agricultural topics through multiple perspectives, connecting science, culture, history, economics, the arts, and other topics in order to understand the complex relationships between people and land.
  • Place-Based

    Students build connections with the land, systems, and communities that sustain them by exploring authentic, local issues. Partnerships with local food producers and community organizations are a critical component of Farm and Food Studies.

Available Courses

Farm and Food Studies courses currently taking place at the Hildene Farm Classroom include Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture, CP Farms, Food and Systems Thinking, CP Ethnobotany, and CP/Honors Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. In addition, students can participate in a Farm Skills Internship or become a BBA-Hildene Farm summer employee.
While the core of the Farm and Food Studies program is the farm-based courses, students also have opportunities to participate in the program through class visits, community service days, summer farm employment, and student clubs.

Ready to take the next step?

Burr and Burton Academy does not discriminate against any person or group on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), ancestry, national origin, place of birth, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, political affiliation or marital status in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries concerning the school's compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or other federal or state nondiscrimination laws or regulations is directed to The Headmaster's Office, Burr and Burton Academy, Manchester, VT 05254. Burr and Burton complies with all applicable state and federal nondiscrimination statutes, including the Vermont Public Accommodations Act (9 V.S.A. Chapter 139), the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act (21 V.S.A. Chapter 5, Subchapter 6) and Vermont State Board of Education rules 2226.6 and 2229.1.