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559 Carpenter Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19119
215-843-2350
2129 72nd Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19138
215-276-0706
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Henry Got Crops!
 Weavers Way Co-op Farm and W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences announce the start of a collaborative Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm to be located on the grounds of Saul High School on Henry Avenue in Roxborough. The farm, called “Henry Got Crops!” will be run by Weavers Way staff working closely with Saul’s agroecology program and the school as a whole to design a farm that not only brings food to the community, but also serves as an educational opportunity for students at Saul. The farm will be located right on campus, and teachers and their classes are invited to learn about and partake in small scale, organic vegetable growing. This will be one of the first high school-based CSAs in the country. There will be many different opportunities for student involvement, ranging from hands-on work in the fields, to helping with community outreach, to doing applied research, budgeting, planning, and newsletter writing. As the busiest time of year for farming coincides with the high school's summer vacation, the farm plans to hire students for summer work opportunities, thereby providing job training experience and job placement right on school grounds. The construction of season-extension infrastructure, such as hoophouses, will allow continuation of a strong program during the colder months, when school is in session.
Weavers Way has enjoyed working with Saul teachers and students on a handful of recent projects. In late 2007 and early 2008, farm staff worked with Jessica Naugle’s Agroecology class to refurbish and cover an existing hoophouse frame with plastic. Throughout the spring, we worked together to plant, maintain and harvest vegetables and herbs that were then sold at Weavers Way Co-op and the Headhouse Farmers Market. Profits were split 50/50 with the school and each made about $400.
In late spring, Ms. Naugle’s class had a field trip to work on the Weavers Way Farm. Over the summer, Weavers Way was privileged to have two Saul students at Weavers Way Farm as summer interns through the Business Mentoring Youth program. There is a history of food from Saul being sold through Weavers Way going back to Doc Dannenberg bringing eggs and baby spinach to sell in the store on Carpenter lane.
Weavers Way Farm now sells over 50 different types of vegetables at Weavers Way Co-op, Headhouse and Carpenter Lane farmers markets, the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market and three restaurants in Northwest Philadelphia. Weavers Way Farm also partners with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's City Harvest program to donate food to multiple anti-hunger organizations. In addition to production, the farm operates educational programs through WWCP at several area schools, both in the classroom and out on the farm. This year the education program partnered with Foundations Inc. and Enon Church to establish a farm on a third of an acre on the campus of Martin Luther King High School.
Building upon an already successful urban farming model, Weavers Way seeks to continue to increase access to local, organic food and offer agricultural education to a greater population.
The mission of W. B. Saul High School is to develop in students an understanding of and appreciation for the career opportunities that are available to them in the many fields of agriculture. Founded in 1943 as the Wissahickon Farm School, Roxborough's Wissahickon Valley has always served as home to the school’s farm. In 1966, the School District renamed the school to honor Walter Biddle Saul, a prominent attorney and former president of the Board of Education in Philadelphia who served as a patron for the school during its early years. The school has evolved through the years, expanding programs and facilities. Today there are eight buildings covering 150 acres and students are offered 15 major agricultural classes. W. B. Saul is the largest agricultural high school in America and is home to the largest single-school Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter in the world.
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