Charles L. Bowers School Farm

November brings about the end of the season for our Community Gardeners.  As you may know, we have 79 garden plots that gardeners rent for the season.  This past year, they spent numerous hours preparing the soil, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting their produce.  Many had excess produce which was donated to Grace Centers of Hope to help feed those that needed some extra help while working to get back on track.  

There is a Garden Committee as well, made up of 6 community gardeners who spent many hours meeting and planning to make the gardening season run smoothly.  They organized the donations to Grace Centers of Hope, reviewed policies and followed methods for compliance amongst the gardeners.  Special thanks to the committee members:  John Cervenak, Alonzo Bobo, Anita Elenbaum, Lorraine Ely and Manlan Liu.   In 2019, Laurie Busch has agreed to join the committee as chairperson.  She brings with her, gardening knowledge, organization and a willingness to bring new ideas to the gardening format.  

Until the Spring of 2019, the gardeners wish everyone a safe and restful winter.  Please enjoy these photos taken by our successful gardeners. 

Current gardeners will receive an email from Jackie Doran, Farm Program Coordinator, during late January asking if they'd like to return.  Returning gardeners will have until March 1st to provide notice of their intention to return. Those interested in joining the Community Garden waiting list should also email Jackie at jdoran@bloomfield.org providing your name, phone number, email address, and type of plot you are interested in (Tilled vs No-Till). Should plots open, prospective gardeners from the waiting list will be notified by phone call in the order in which they joined the list. 

Already a barnyard favorite is our new Jersey Wooly doe (female) rabbit who arrived at Bowers just after Thanksgiving!. She is a fiber breed, and will grow to between 3-5 pounds. She joins our Flemish Giant rabbit, who weighs close to 15 pounds! Welcome Mrs. Wooly Rabbit!

While the snow is blowing and temperatures are dropping, we still go about the work of the farm. Animals still need their water and food each day. There are eggs to collect, and repairs to make. We are keeping a close eye on the animals who have been bred, watching for signs that we can expect babies come Spring! We are readying the farrowing area for the arrival of a new Mama Sow in late January. The farm staff also uses the time to peruse and order from seed catalogs for the farm garden and pumpkin patch; we dream and plan for Summer Camps and organize the Spring field trips offerings. Farming is a year-round endeavor.

Sharpen those skates and dust off those sleds because the Bowers School Farm is busily preparing to open and offer an exciting new Winter Park over several select weekends in 2019! The Winter Park will feature activities such as skating, sledding, snowshoeing, and bonfires, as long as the frosty weather permits! In district attendees as well as those heralding from out of district locations are welcome to attend. The Farm Activity Building -which recently received an exciting facelift- will be the location of indoor festivities, a warming station, and concessions. Each weekend will feature a different theme with unique festivities. We encourage visitors to come enjoy all that the winter farm landscape has to offer during these highly anticipated Winter Park weekends!

Prospective attendees as well as interested volunteers are encouraged to keep current with the Bowers School Farm Facebook page (facebook.com/BowersSchoolFarm), website (bloomfield.org/schools/charles-l-bowers-school-farm), and Newsletter (bloomfield.org/schools/charles-l-bowers-school-farm/farm-news), for Winter Park schedule updates, theme and activity announcements, entrance prices, and more!

Interested in sponsoring a themed weekend to help share the frigid fun? The Bowers School Farm would be delighted to advertise your name or business as a Winter Park Weekend Sponsor! Contact Kelli Clifton at kclifton@bloomfield.org for more details. 

Did somebody say Gobble, Gobble? Tom and Jerry, the patriarch Bowers Farm turkeys, enjoyed quite the tour this November, visiting Lone Pine, Fox Hills, Eastover, Conant preschoolers, along with various other area elementaries. Accompanied by a Bowers School Farm guide, the "Turkey Visits" were offered in preparation for "Turkey Day" in order to educate youth about their favorite Thanksgiving mascot. Tom in particular was quite the celebrity as he strutted his stuff by showing off his feathers, puffing up his chest, standing calmly for pets from the students, and even rattling off a goofy "gobble" from time to time. 

Interested in bringing a Bowers Turkey Visit to your destination? Contact Bowers School Farm Program Coordinator Jackie Doran at 248-341-6475; jdoran@bloomfield.org. Our guides seamlessly tailor each Turkey Visit's subject matter to always ensure audience appropriateness, so contact Jackie to arrange for a turkey to strut your way next year!

Hope you all enjoyed a terrific Thanksgiving! 

The Bowers School Farm, Bowers Academy on behalf of Bloomfield Hills Schools extend a warm welcome to Amy Brown, who has commenced her instruction in Math and Science as the newest addition to the Academy staff team. As an Avondale High School graduate, Amy is proud to have experienced a local public high school education. She received her teaching certificate from Michigan State University, having majored in Biological Science and minored in Chemistry and Math, and also earned a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Teaching from MSU. She joins the Bowers Academy team "thrilled to now be a part of the Bloomfield Hills community" as an 18 year veteran math and science instructor. Welcome, Amy! We are so honored to have you join the Farm & Academy family! 

Interested in a class at Bowers Farm? Register Here!