Celebrating a decade of partnership with Burr and Burton Academy
By Ann Ogden Hausslein, Hildene Farm Gardens Manager & Educator and Nan Bambara, Advancement Director
From Elementary Roots to High School Horizons
This fall marked the 10th anniversary of Hildene’s integrated collaboration with Burr and Burton Academy’s Farm and Food Studies program — a milestone that invites reflection on how Hildene’s youth education mission expanded to include high school students and how the lower level of Hildene, known as "the dene," evolved into a place of immersive learning.
Hildene’s education program began under Susanne Rappaport, who became the first director of education in 1990. Over the years, the offerings expanded, and the young learners flourished. In the early 2000s, under the direction of Diane Newton, the curriculum was refined to meet Next Generation Science and Social Studies Standards. By 2015, Hildene offered more than two dozen hands-on learning experiences, educating over 3,000 elementary and middle school students annually. With that foundation, the next step was clear: create a continuum of learning by offering high school students the same depth of engagement and experiential education.
Building the Space for Learning
At the same time, Hildene was restoring agriculture to the sixty-acre River Road meadows while intentionally creating a dedicated site for education — one where learning could be rooted in place, season, and lived experience. The landscape included a grouping of nineteenth-century barns once used by the Lincoln family for farming, as well as flat land suitable for new construction. Expanding to high school wasn’t just about adding students; it required creating spaces where learning could unfold over time. While BBA developed the curriculum, Hildene — thanks to grants and the generosity of donors — focused on building the facilities to bring it all to life.
In 2015, the educational greenhouse was completed, and Hildene welcomed its first semester of high school students. The dene offered a setting where longer class periods, repeated visits, and sustained projects allowed students to ask deeper questions, test ideas, and take ownership of their work.
A Natural Partnership
The partnership with BBA was a natural fit: both institutions share commitments to integrity, service, civic responsibility, and sustainability, and together envisioned a program that would move learning beyond classroom walls. Students engaged directly with Hildene’s landscapes, gardens, livestock, and greenhouse, guided by educators, gardeners, and farmers working side by side.
Experiential Learning in Action
From the program’s earliest semesters, students have enrolled in courses such as Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, using the greenhouse and surrounding grounds as sites of scientific inquiry. They have planned, planted, and cared for gardens alongside Hildene staff, then used the food they grew to prepare farm-to-plate meals. Students have explored herbs for salves, plants for natural dyes, and other traditional and contemporary uses of plants.
As the program has matured, Hildene Farm’s educational spaces have evolved with it. In 2019, one of Hildene’s nineteenth-century River Road barns was thoughtfully transformed into a twenty-first-century classroom. In this space, students continue to explore environmental and agricultural topics through science, history, culture, economics, and the arts, grounding their work in local issues and strengthening community partnerships.
A Decade of Growth and Invitation
Ten years later, the Farm and Food Studies program stands as a reflection of steady, intentional growth. While facilities and offerings have expanded, the core purpose remains the same: connecting students to the land, their food, and their role in shaping a more sustainable future.
We invite you to visit the dene this season. Step into the greenhouse, peep into the classroom, walk the fields, and witness firsthand the magic that unfolds when young people are given space to explore, wonder, and grow on the land.
