Cooperative Living March/April 2014 - 36

engage people of different generations, by
bringing people together around food and
teaching them how to be a culture together. "
The Allegheny Mountain School experience
is geared toward helping fellows find
successful career paths. During their second
phase, fellows develop portfolios that
become the foundations of in-depth resumes.
" The broader long-term impact of the
program is the positive energy, diverse backgrounds
and curiosity for the natural world
that the phase-one fellows bring to our community, "
The Highland Center's Mitchell
says. " We love the fact that Highland holds
a special place in their hearts, although their
placements might take them beyond Highland.
In the past month one of the inaugural
fellows purchased property in Highland.
Another, Sarah Collins, is working at The
Highland Center as our community projects
coordinator. "
Highland Board of Supervisors member
David Blanchard took one of the public tours
of the campuses that the school has hosted
on many occasions. " I think it's an asset to
the county to bring young folks in here, " he
said of Allegheny Mountain School. " I think
it's good. "
In April, a new group of fellows will
arrive, and another season on the mountain
begins. The school advertises through
websites and radio. For information about
the school, and to apply for enrollment,
please access alleghenymountainschool.org.
Tour information may be obtained by calling
540-468-2300 or emailing info@allegheny
mountainschool.org. 
John Bruce is Highland County community news
editor for The Recorder newspaper of Bath and
Highland counties (therecorderonline.com). He has
covered the Allegheny Mountain School since its
inception.
From left, Ben
Samuelson, Emily
Melvin and Trevor
Piersol are working
on a project at the
Virginia School for
the Deaf and the
Blind that will educate
schoolteachers on
how to put gardening
into curricula across
Virginia.
Healthy Foods Are Focus
of Garden-Based Project
T
he Virginia School for the
Deaf and the Blind (VSDB)
Educational Farm is taking
shape in Staunton, thanks to help from the
Allegheny Mountain School. A school
project team consisting of senior fellows
Emily Melvin and Ben Samuelson, under
the direction of Trevor Piersol, project
manager, is tackling the job.
Once completed, the farm will serve
as a regional hub for classes, resources,
and curricula related to garden-based education
for schoolteachers across Virginia,
Piersol explains. " In 2014 we plan to host
our first summer course for educators on
how to build and utilize school gardens.
Other projects will include working with
VSDB teachers and students to expand the
school's garden-based education program,
as well as hosting a series of workshops
and events for the local community. "
Piersol was involved in the early stages
of the project in 2013 as an Allegheny
Mountain School senior fellow. He was
asked to serve as project manager on
completion of his fellowship.
" I have been excited about this project
from the beginning because I wholeheartedly
believe that when we integrate growing
food into the way we teach and learn,
we all become healthier, happier people.
The benefits of garden-based education
are wide-ranging and far-reaching, especially
for children, " he says.
The VSDB Educational Farm came
about when Nancy Armstrong, VSDB
superintendent, approached Allegheny
Mountain School with the idea to use a
part of the VSDB lower campus for an
educational farm, Piersol says.
" Together we came up with a vision to
use the farm as a center for garden-based
education, " he says. " We plan to bring in
experts on garden-based education from
around the state to teach the workshops
at our farm. Because this is a new project
we are still developing the structure of our
programming, " he says.
Visitors enjoy a walk on the upper campus.
34
Cooperative Living/March-April 2014
Piersol, 26, is a Richmond native who
earned a bachelor's degree from the
University of Virginia before graduating
from the Allegheny Mountain School
fellowship program in 2013. He is a
practicing permaculture designer and
educator. He received a permaculture
design teaching certificate from the
Permaculture Wellness Institute in
Staunton.
" Permaculture is a design science that
enables us to build systems that both
meet human needs and improve the
health of the planet, " he explains. " We
will be using permaculture design extensively
in the development of the VSDB
Educational Farm. "
Team member Emily Melvin says
she is impressed by the project's possibilities.
" I am a part of this effort because
of its huge potential to reach out and
benefit many different groups and
communities in the area, " Melvin says.
" The VSDB project will provide hands-on
experiential education not only to deaf
and blind students, but also to teachers
and the surrounding community. It's
a wonderful opportunity to use gardenbased
education to teach people about
nourishing their minds as well as
bodies. "
For his part, Ben Samuelson is ecstatic
over his new job with the VSDB project.
" This new site needs a lot of action
to get the soil up to scratch, " he says.
" I saw that I would probably thrive with
a project like this, and it happens that a
dream of mine is to start a farm. There
are a quite a few programs where people
with my qualifications can get experience
teaching and directing young people
in community and outdoor courses.
But, it is very, very difficult to get a shot at
building up a farm from scratch and also
have the support that we do with the
VSDB project. "
To learn about VSDB, please access
vsdb.k12.va.us. 
JOHN BRUCE PHOTO COURTESY THE RECORDER NEWSPAPER
JOHN BRUCE PHOTO
http://www.alleghenymountainschool.org http://www.mountainschool.org http://www.therecorderonline.com http://vsdb.k12.va.us
Cooperative Living March/April 2014

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