“I formed a deep connection to the land and animals during my time at Glynwood. The animals were really like teachers to me in understanding how to care for livestock in humane ways and how to manage pasture in sustainable ways. I learned a lot about listening to the animals and the land and also about trusting my own instincts as a farmer.”

Allie Comet apprenticed at Glynwood during the 2011 season, and stayed on as the Assistant Livestock manager in 2012. After her time at Glynwood she worked at Mighty Food Farm and High Meadows Farm, both in southern Vermont, and at Adamah, the farm at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Connecticut. Allie then combined her love of the outdoors and ecological stewardship with her interest in working with young people in her position as an educator with Vermont Wilderness School. She worked with kids ages 5-12 as they explored the woods in southern Vermont, learned wilderness skills, built community and a connection to the land. They built fires to sit by during the cold Vermont winters, they identified trees in the summer when they were covered in leaves, they swung from bittersweet vines and enjoyed it while also learning about its properties as an invasive plant. Through this work, Allie was able to share the joy and beauty that she finds in the woods with her students. Following three years at the Vermont Wilderness School, Allie made her way to Brandeis University where she received her Masters in Teaching in Elementary Education in 2019. For the past two academic years Allie has been working as a Garden Educator with CitySprouts in Boston, where she is affectionately known to her students as “Gardener Allie”. CitySprouts operates gardens at public schools in Boston and Cambridge. They offer year-round programs including tuition-free summer and after school programs where students can learn about growing food and other plants, finding pollinators in their environment, and connecting classroom science concepts to the world around them. For a dose of garden education, check out the wonderful videos that Allie made for her students this fall. Here's more fom Allie about her work at CitySprouts:

“What I love most about my work at CitySprouts is giving students the opportunity to have hands-on experiences in nature. At a time when so much learning happens by reading, writing, and using a computer, engaging with real phenomena in nature—soil, seeds, plants, worms, water, and more—supports embodied learning experiences that are more accessible for all types of learners. Students also build tangible connections to the natural world around them and a lived understanding of where their food comes from. This is especially important in urban schools, where students often do not have opportunities to connect with nature.”