HAY

The Hawlemont, Agriculture, and You (HAY) program is a tremendous source of pride for our students, educators, and residents. We’re excited to pioneer this new approach to education and watch as children develop confidence and purpose as they forge a connection with nature and take on important responsibilities to care for and nurture animals and plants.

Our Mission

Our goal is to provide an innovative elementary education through hands-on, experiential learning that combines agriculture and community involvement with traditional curriculum.

A Sense of Purpose

Everyone, and we mean EVERYone, at Hawlemont does farm chores. After all, maintaining a barn, a greenhouse, gardens, and an outdoor classroom is a huge, but rewarding, responsibility. Working together for a common purpose, our students connect not only with nature, but with their peers and our community as they take on responsibility and learn new skills. Focus and classroom behavior improves, test scores go up, and students are happy and engaged as they participate in our farming curriculum.

A Community Effort

Community participation is a key component to the success of HAY. Many local farmers lend us animals for the children to feed and care for during the school year. Local farmers, cheese makers, and other volunteers teach the children new skills through the 4-H Club after-school programs. Friends of HAY is dedicated to the sustainability of the Hawlemont, Agriculture, and You (HAY) program at Hawlemont Regional Elementary School.

Annual HAY Conference

Two children pulling wheelbarrow

Hawlemont Elementary School presents the annual HAY conference on Saturday, May 20, 2023, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Our mission is to share knowledge in agriculture, sustainability, self-sufficiency, and holistic wellness. This broad array of knowledge is meant to help ourselves, our community, and our planet. The conference includes three sessions with a number of awesome presenters. Call us at (413) 339-8316, ext. 118; contact Sienna Valente-Blough, agricultural educator, via email with any questions or concerns.