Nestled in Weddington, NC lies a remarkable 330-acres of land that is a symbol of sustainable agriculture and serves as an expansive outdoor learning lab for our students in grades JK–12.
Donated by Smoky and Margaret Gragg Bissell in 2022, Weddington Farm is an exemplary model of sustainable farming and offers vast and varied natural surroundings, such as wooded expanses with native trees and plants, open natural spaces, and a stream. It includes vegetables, goats, chickens, beekeeping, mushroom farming, and an eight-mile trail system. The diverse landscape offers unique opportunities for experiential education, providing students with hands-on lessons in agricultural education, ecology, biology, environmental science, and much more.
The integration of agricultural practices creates a living classroom where students can explore, learn, and appreciate the intricacies of food production and environmental stewardship. Examples of inquiry-based learning include:
- Exploring a 10-mile nature trail system
- Harvesting and packing crops with our onsite farmer
- Testing surface water quality
- Surveying tree populations
- Building birdhouses for the property
- Conducting a bird walk survey
- Learning about beekeeping and mushroom farming
- Integrating reading and writing (such as turning pumpkins into beloved book characters in second-grade!)
- Participating in the operation and optimization of a modern, intensive, small-scale farm.