Sunday, February 7, 2010

Endersession

Natalie, a senior at High Tech High, is spending the last month of high school WWOOFing!

During the last month of senior year at High Tech High, students can explore classes, volunteer opportunities, internships, and/or college classes which interest them.  The period, known as endersession, is an opportunity for seniors to expand their knowledge on topics or gain experience in fields which they are curious about.

WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is an organization which connects volunteers with organic farms.  In exchange for 5-8 hours of labor a day 5 days a week, WWOOF volunteers (otherwise known as 'WWOOFers') receive meals, lodging, and hands-on educational experiences in organic farming from their hosts!

A vegan for the past five years, I have been interested in agricultural production for quite some time.  After reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and writing a chapter for a book my junior class wrote, Biomimicry and the Bay, on hunter-gatherer diets and agricultural production, I feel it would be both relevant to my prior learning and of present interest to me to gain hands-on experience in organic farming methods.


  • How much influence can small-scale organic farms have on local and global food production?
  • Can the organic and "slow food" movements last when youth support them?
  • How does one work for basic necessities (food and shelter) as opposed to monetary compensation in the 21st century?
  • How does one transition from being a student at one of the most tech-savvy high schools in America to spending 8-hour days on a rural farm doing manual labor?
Follow this blog to find out...