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Hill Farm, Penn State Extension highlight farm-based education partnership with Harrisburg schools
Summary
Presenters described a pilot year of farm-based field trips, after-school programming and summer camps that engaged 376 students, outlined curriculum alignment and asked the district to consider lease and access priorities for Harrisburg students.
Christina Herman, managing director of the Hill Farm, told the Harrisburg City School District board on Sept. 9 that the farm’s pilot partnership with Penn State Extension and local nonprofits engaged 376 students since January and provided field trips, after‑school programming and summer workshops.
The presenters said the Hill Farm work is aligned with the Harrisburg School District wellness policy, Penn State Health’s 2024 community health needs assessment and Penn State Extension’s strategic plan, and that the goal is to add stable, curriculum‑aligned programming that combines hands‑on agriculture experiences with classroom instruction.
“This is what the Hill Farm is all about,” Christina Herman said, describing students picking and tasting tomatoes and learning “this is how a tomato comes from.” Herman and colleagues showed photographs of students visiting stations on the farm, interacting with chickens and goats, completing a sensory scavenger hunt and planting seeds.
Jennifer Broski, a presenter with the partnership, said the…
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