Building the Capacity of Schools to Support Farm to School Programming

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Nicole Eshelman, who is serving her second term with Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School. She has been serving students in the greater La Crosse area the last two years, being based at the Holmen School District and Extension La Crosse County - University of Wisconsin-Madison. Nicole describes the variety of service activities she has done supporting the sustainability of Farm to School programming at thirty-four schools across the region, including fostering partnerships with various community organizations to bolster various Farm to School lessons and activities.  She also discusses leading nutrition education lessons for a wide range of students, from 4K to seniors in high school, and how she adapts concepts and activities for different grade levels. Listen to learn how Nicole began her AmeriCorps service as a way to use her degree focusing on health and wellness management and program building after making a career change and how she has found enjoyment making an impact in the community by being a part of providing healthier meals and nutrition, environmental, and garden education for her own children and those across all of the schools she serves.