Vallejo school district's working farm gives students hands-on lessons in agriculture and animal care
Vallejo, Calif. - In the middle of the city of Vallejo sits an outdoor classroom unlike almost any other in the Bay Area: a working urban farm where school children spend their summer days brushing rabbits, feeding goats and learning the basics of animal care.
Loma Vista Farms is operated by the Vallejo City Unified School District and serves as a source of educational programming and summer camps for local students.
Among this summer's campers learning to work with the animals was a young camper who described the key to handling them.
"The secret is just be calm mostly," the camper said.
A sense of calm, responsibility and empathy are just some of the things students learn by taking care of rabbits, alpacas, horses, goats, chickens, pigs and even a pair of peacocks at Loma Vista Farm.
Heather Topacio, assistant superintendent of Vallejo City Unified School District, said the district works to give every student in Vallejo schools a chance to experience the farm.
"What we try to do is make sure all kids in Vallejo schools get an opportunity to come to the farm on field trips. We have opportunities for our high school kids to do projects on the farm, and we continue to ensure that this resource is maintained year over year," Topacio said.
Loma Vista Farms was started 50 years ago by a school teacher who believed it would be a good way to introduce children to life sciences, biology and agriculture. Despite ongoing budget constraints across school districts, Topacio said keeping the farm running remains a priority.
"If this would ever go away, I would just not be acceptable to the community and the leadership of Vallejo City Unified School District," Topacio said. "Through our partnership with the friends of Loma Vista Farm, we're able to find creative ways to keep it going and access this really rich environment for years and years to come."
The farm operates through a shared partnership: the school district handles maintenance, owns the land and employs full-time staff, including a farm keeper, while a volunteer group contributes donations and additional support.
"It serves the families and the students of Vallejo in a very unique way. It's something that's uniquely Vallejo," Topacio said.
Campers who spend their summers at the farm often return year after year, with some families coming back across generations. The farm is open to the public 9am to 2pm, Mondays through Fridays. Visitors do not need to be district students to stop by and see the animals for themselves.
The Source: Source: KTVU interview with Heather Topacio, assistant superintendent, Vallejo City Unified School District, and Loma Vista Farms summer campers.