Students demonstrate farming, forestry skills
BETHEL – Students got a chance Sunday to show off some skills outside the classroom.
Nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains, Gould Academy, is a prep school with a small farm of animals.
Those animals were on display on Sunday along with students demonstrating farm and forest skills. Math instructor Rudy Penczer also trains students in competition with colleges in cross cutting, axe throwing and chain sawing.
He says the students fare better in axe throwing and chain sawing.
This prestigious school has students from grades 9 through 12 and some post graduates. Among the countries represented this year, the 220 students hail from many parts of the United States as well as Korea, Japan, Germany, Canada, Turkey, France, England, Austria, Russia and a Slavic country.
In the Farm Program, interested students take care of the animals and barns. Farm projects are ongoing such as cutting wood for bonfires and fireplaces. The sheep flock produces wool and meat. Flocks have recently been switched to Romney sheep because this breed produces better wool.
There are two draft horses that belong to Spanish teacher Tracey Wilkerson.
The mare is a Percheron and the colt is a cross between a Percheron and a Welsh Cob. Farm proctors, who are mostly juniors and seniors take care of the horses along with Wilkerson.
The farm also has turkeys, chickens and pigs. The barn that houses most of the animals was built by students under the direction of a design engineer. A shed was recently built for the horses and a large kiln completes the outbuildings.
Jo-Ann Korhonen demonstrated spinning wool and explained how the wool was soaked in water to dissolve impurities and lanolin. It is washed, carded, dyed and spun.
Korhonen said that if the dying takes place after spinning, the color is more uniform.
In addition to demonstrating cross sawing, two students were pressing apples for cider while another was making axe handles using a shave bench and draw blade. Several families took advantage of a beautiful fall day to visit the farm. One family even brought their Nubian goats.
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