Fox Chase farmer Daryl Wampler feeds a calf.
Fox Chase Elementary School welcomed a few new faces last Wednesday and they instantly became the most popular kids in school, although some of them could’ve used a bit more soap and water.
The little ones included a 3-day-old calf, a 6-week-old lamb and a chattering of chicks (the yellow baby chicken variety). Several generous Philadelphia-area farmers loaned the critters to Fox Chase for a day to supply the star attractions in the school’s National Agriculture Day festivities.
For the record, the federal government officially recognized National Agriculture Day on March 18. But as one might imagine, farm animals don’t necessarily observe the Gregorian calendar.
So as the baby cow lounged in one corner of the school lobby and the peeps huddled under a heat lamp in an open glass tank on the opposite side of the room, Mandy Fellouzis, the agricultural teacher at nearby Fox Chase Farm, bottle-fed the fuzzy black lamb.
At one point, the rambunctious toddler bolted from his handler and led a group of pupils on a foot chase into the auditorium, but order was soon restored. Meanwhile, classes throughout the school learned lessons about livestock, dairy and grain production and even Pennsylvania’s forest industry courtesy of a roster of guest speakers.
“I think they’re learning how agriculture and forestry ties into their everyday lives and real-world scenarios,” said Rob Caroselli, principal at Fox Chase School. “After farming, forestry is the number two industry in the state. And we have farming and forestry (represented) here today. These are teaching moments for our teachers, and a lot of these students may never get the opportunity to see this again.”
The principal and his school have Fellouzis to thank for arranging it all. Connecting with kids is probably her top priority at Fox Chase Farm. The 82-acre publicly owned site spans the boundary between Philadelphia and Montgomery County. The School District of Philadelphia runs educational programming there, with some students from Swenson Arts and Technology High School spending about 12 hours a week on the farm.
“It teaches kids leadership, different job opportunities and self confidence,” said Ruth Donnelly, a career technical education assistant at Swenson.
A few of the Swenson students pitched in at the grade school last Wednesday as guides and instructors. So did the folks from Wawa Inc., several local farmers and Evan Corondi with the Pennsylvania WoodMobile.
The WoodMobile is a 34-trailer outfitted in dozens of contemporary products made from Pennsylvania’s cultivated trees ranging from cabinets and furniture to crayons and chewing gum. There’s even a modern bicycle with a hardwood frame made from from black cherry and maple.
According to Corondi, the bicycle’s specifications are competitive with recreational-level carbon fiber frames for weight, durability and overall performance. Plus, it’s built from sustainable resources.
The WoodMobile is a project of the Department of Agriculture and the state’s hardwood’s industry. Pennsylvania is the nation’s largest hardwood-producing state and also leads the nation in sustainable forestry.
“We take this to all different school events. We also take it to town fairs and get-togethers,” Corondi said. “I talk about the background of Pennsylvania’s forest history, the benefits of the forest, forest regeneration and how important it is for the industry.”
According to Fellouzis, the farm hosts a lot of similar educational programs but the Fox Chase School event was the first time its show went on the road. The farm teacher drew upon the networking resources of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau to pull everyone together.
On May 16, Fox Chase Farm will bring together more than 30 agriculture industry representatives for a public Farm to Table program. The event is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The farm entrance is at 8500 Pine Road.
Meanwhile, the program was such a hit at Fox Chase Elementary that Caroselli is planning to start taking students to the farm regularly for the remainder of the academic year.
Fellouzis would like to replicate last week’s program at other schools in the future. Importantly, the farm doesn’t charge for the program.
“I just need a principal to say, ‘I want to bring this educational component into my school,’” Fellouzis said. ••
Philadelphia-area farmers loaned some barnyard animals to Fox Chase Elementary School as the star attractions in the school’s National Agriculture Day festivities
Down on the farm: Philadelphia-area farmers loaned some barnyard animals to Fox Chase Elementary School as the star attractions in the school’s National Agriculture Day festivities. Pictured, Marissa Landis, 10, holds a rabbit with Jada Elliott, 10. MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTOS
