Life of a Fellow: Vi Baker
Raising lambs or building historically-accurate indigenous structures probably aren’t part of most people’s high school experience.
But at Saul, those opportunities to engage with nature are what help define and elevate the student learning experience.
Meet Vi
Vi Baker is a Fellow at W.B Saul High School. Vi earned their Bachelor's at Earlham College in Peace and Global studies, Theater, and Outdoor Education. Vi then completed their Master's degree from Arcadia University in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. Vi enjoys being outside and hanging out with their friends while exploring the city of Philadelphia.
Saul and Nature
It is said that being out in nature can have a large impact on your happiness, focus, and life. At Saul, this is seen every day. Unlike most schools, our kids get to focus on one of three sciences majors: animal science, horticulture, and food science. The seniors have three hours with their major class everyday, learning and working to develop their skills in that area of study. They learn from the excellent staff who have studied in these sciences.
The students each day get hands-on experience in their major, ranging from working on our farm with the plants and animals to learning about preservatives, animal care, etc. It is with this experience that each year in March, students welcome the birth of lambs on the farm and help care for them. The farm becomes the outdoor classroom for the students, allowing them to connect with nature and be outside. Nature is engraved in their daily lives at school, and in turn they get the joys and benefits of being out in the outdoors. While learning in nature, the year has many major milestones/ events that the kids work on or participate in. In my free time at work I enjoy walking around the school, taking a trip the animals on the farm.
Every year the horticulture students create an exhibition for the Philadelphia Flower show and this year's theme was “Rooted.” The students created a scene of what Philadelphia might have looked like before the British arrived in the states: a living structure of the local indigenous tribe while using only native plants to surround it. They crafted a beautiful depiction and came in second place this year. I got the chance to see it during the school’s annual trip to the flower show. We see this hands-on learning at the flower show which is seen but the community in Philadelphia . The students take such pride in their work which they have done over the months and love sharing it with their friends, family, and others who enjoy the Flower Show. I enjoyed attending this event with the school, being able to see the work that the students put so much effort into was very rewarding.
Another annual event is the trip to the farm show in Harrisburg, where our students get to show off their skill. The animal science students take part in many events in the show, including showing off the animals they have been taking care of during the year. During this time they get to watch all the other animal events that are put on, go to live demonstrations while learning more about farming and animal care. They join the show as Future Farmers of America members which they join as a Saul student. There they connect with fellow members of the organization and demonstrate their skills and animals they have been working on. I joined on the trip to the farm show one day with the students and got to explore the different exhibitions and exhibits.
It is through being outdoors that we see the students connect with their material and get invested in their own learning. With all this time outdoors, I get to observe how my students' energy levels can differ from students at other schools. Everyday, the students enjoy heading to their agricultural classes especially when they know they will be out on the farm. Being out in nature makes a big impact on the students, and this is seen everyday in the joy they get from their classes and experiences they participate in every year.