After celebrating Mountain Day on the 14th, the Log Lunch community came together to hear Jenae Rassmussen ‘23 and Caitlin Murphy ‘24 reflect upon their exciting summers on October 21st. Both students were funded by Center for Environmental Studies summer research grants. The community enjoyed butternut squash risotto with sage and carrots in a tahini dressing, with carrots from Bigfoot Farm, Squash from Peace Valley, and apples picked by Log Lunch staff.
Caitlin, who is interested in pursuing a career in Education, described her work with youth in the Mohawk Forest community She clarified, first, that she had worked with the Mohawk Forest Apartments, an affordable housing complex in North Adams — not to be confused with the state forest slightly east of the Purple Valley. She described how before COVID, CES provided grants to several interns to lead summer day camp programming for youth aged 7-13 in the community. However, the pandemic paused the program, and Caitilin was tasked with essentially building it from the ground up. After marketing the program to the community, she built a curriculum that balanced summer fun with environmental awareness, creating an environment that entertained kids ages 6 to 17.
Throughout the summer, Caitilin’s program grew from 3 kids to 12. She came up with creative, stimulating activities each day, which ranged from picking up trash in the local community, to zine making, to solar-powered s’mores, to building bird feeders in collaboration with Professor Cynthia Holland. Caitilin described how she cherished the opportunity to be a positive adult role model for these kids, and enjoyed creating a fun, safe place for learning throughout their summer.
Jenae, a beloved member of the Log Lunch community and former director, spent her summer at Spring Creek Farm in Palmer, Alaska. Jenae connected to Spring Creek through Ben Swimm, the farm’s current director, who is not only a Williams alum, but also a former Log Lunch director! Jenae spoke both about her internship experience and the challenges of organic farming in Alaska’s unique climate. Jenae’s work was dynamic: she learned about farm tools and techniques, but also worked on educational materials, newsletters, and led kids camp for two weeks. She also learned a lot about the complexity of organic agriculture, outlining several techniques used to manage weeds and utilize Alaska’s often-frozen ground. She finished by celebrating many of the wonderful crops that thrive in Alaska — carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi, to name a few — and urged the community to reach out if they were interested in a summer in Alaska.
Log Lunch is a CES program hosted every Friday at noon. During Log Lunch, a vegetarian meal prepared by Williams students is served, followed by a talk on an environmental topic. Speakers are drawn from both the student body and faculty of Williams, as well as from local, national, and international organizations. Learn more here.
BY SARAH JANE O’CONNOR ‘22.5