We have some new faces on the farm-- two Americorps Production Assistants hosted through Civic Works and a program assistant/ volunteer coordinator through our partnership with the Episcopal Service Corps.
Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, James Koval is one of our new Production Assistants. He has a degree in Secondary Education from Penn State and has taught social studies at the high school level. His wife’s career to become a large-animal veterinarian brought them to Westminster, Maryland in June of 2017. James loves working at Great Kids Farm because it is a great mix of agriculture and education.
Friends of Great Kids Farm prioritized funding two Production Assistants at the farm this year in response to staff requests to better serve our students. Our second Production Assistant’s name is Gerilyn Lackey. She is originally from Upstate New York, but has lived in Maryland for 11 years. She has always been connected to farming and gardening through her grandparents’ farm in the Midwest, and has fond childhood memmories of berry and vegetable picking as children. Before her Americorps placement at Great Kids Farm, she served a year with Americorps at an elementary school in the Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore. There, she co-managed the school’s outdoor classroom and food justice efforts, among many other community school initiatives. So far, Gerilyn’s favorite thing about Great Kids Farm is hanging out with Toast (GKF’s senior goat) and watching the chickens take dust baths! When she’s not at the farm, she is working on her art practice either solo or with her community.
Our new Program Assistant/Volunteer Coordinator is Suz Jones-Hochmuth who is originally from Salisbury, Maryland. Suz is a recent alumna of UMBC and graduated with majors in Environmental Studies and Gender and Women’s Studies. As a former camp counselor, Suz loves working with kids, especially when it comes to teaching them about the environment. She is excited to fill this role at the farm through the Episcopal Service Corps, and is glad Friends continues to support a partnership with that program.