Last Tuesday, my field lab group and I congregated outside the barn to try on our hip-length wader boots. We made sure our boots were securely fastened in anticipation of the treacherous adventure we were about to embark on, and laughter filled the air as we realized how ridiculous we looked in the clunky shoes. After several extended photoshoots, everyone piled into the vans, and we drove down Chewonki Neck Road with smiles on our faces and cheerful music blasting through the staticky car Read More

While I have not had the pleasure of morning farm chores yet, the farm of Chewonki is one of my favorite places. I was told at the beginning of the semester that I could volunteer for weekend farm chores and I immediately wanted in. I have gotten to do so many different things while on farm chores that I always wanted to try. I even learned the process of milking a cow! Unfortunately Hazel was not very well behaved that day, but Megan (the farm manager) and I were still able to get a whole Read More

Last Saturday was our first Outdoor Leadership activity. Outdoor Leadership is a mandatory activity that happens every Saturday morning and it is meant to develop our outdoor skills in order to prepare for things such as backcountry trips and solos. Last Saturday we had a backcountry bake-off. Sounds pretty fun right? It was. We woke up bright and early at 7:30 am, ready to start the day baking in the woods. There was a fair amount of snow, but it was sunny and warm, depending on how people Read More

Coming to Chewonki, a lot of things were incredibly new to me. Before my arrival, I’d never lived with anyone other than my family, never been to New England, never seen more than two or three inches of snow, and I’d definitely never worked on a farm. I was excited for all of my new experiences, but I was terrified to work on the farm, especially once I learned how early I would have to wake up. To be honest, I spent a lot of time during my first couple weeks worrying about farm chores. I’m Read More

On Thursday, my field lab group put on some bog boots, piled into two big Chewonki vans, and headed to check out the intertidal life and collection of ancient rocks that Pemaquid Point has to offer! It was a bright, crisp day, and when we got out of the vans after a half hour of friendship bracelet making and singing along to some Phoebe Bridgers with Megan, our Natural History teacher, we were greeted with the dazzling blue of the ocean and gusts of fresh, salty air. Led by Megan, Lucy, and Read More

Driving up Chewonki Neck Road on a Thursday evening, on the way back from a field lab, I am first greeted by the image of horses grazing on a pasture, backlit by the golden sun. The farm has come to be one of my favorite places on the Chewonki campus. The longer that I am here at Chewonki, the greater the role of the farm becomes for me. Once a week, we have a seminar called Farm and Food Systems during which we learn about the industrial and local food industry, but also Chewonki’s food Read More

Every Saturday, there is an event planned by a volunteer dish crew, and the whole school has to attend. Don’t worry, it’s never not fun. It can be as simple as watching a movie in the Flintstones or a coffee house, where people sign up to play music or do some sort of performance. It can also be a thoroughly planned event, if you and your dish crew are up for the task.  Most recently, dish crew number five held a carnival night, full of games and prizes. There were classic carnival games like Read More

The wondrous Chewonki Winter Olympics began on a slushy Saturday morning. The night before, we had made flags with our dish crews and coordinated what we'd been wearing. My dish crew decided on wearing flannel, which everyone owned. After a delicious breakfast from our chefs, we were energized and ready to win. The games started off in Orchard field due to the ice being melted on the Frog Pond. The first event was announced after a dramatic torch lighting ceremony (we used flashlights) and Read More

This morning I looked out my window and saw that the snow had melted, a sign of spring even though it’s only mid-February. Outside, it was chilly but sunny. At morning gather, I said hello to my friends as the sun started to come up. At breakfast, my friends and I talked about our field lab from the week, what the next weekend activity would be, and more. The day started normally, with a documentary in Spanish class, a fun but productive math class, and our second species quiz in science. During Read More

For weeks, I had heard countless stories about Chewonki’s infamous backcountry trips from alumni, teachers, and outdoor leaders within my first few weeks at MCS. I thought that would make me feel more prepared when going into the trip, but my group made sure that the trip was as unpredictable as it could possibly be.  Each morning, I woke up to the sound of the Minions Universal Fanfare blasting from Carly’s speaker through the walls of our room. I may have slept through the first three Read More