Afternoon Work activities meet once or twice a week. They are group activities that a student does in addition to their normal job as part of the 6-day Work Program.
Conservation Crew - Land Use
The Putney School campus sits atop 600 acres on a beautiful hillside in Southern Vermont. Our campus has been used for many purposes since its founding as a farm school, and it is important for us to give back as much as we take from the land. Land stewardship is an essential part of living in a rural community, as stated in one of our Fundamental Beliefs: To steward and protect the land, to seek ways to live on the earth that are healthy for all beings, and to shape our community as a model of sustainable living. The conservation crew activity allows students to get to know our beautiful campus in a more intimate way as we work together to remove invasive species, maintain trails, cultivate gardens (pollinator garden, edible forest garden, herb garden, and KDU roof garden), and work on monitoring long-term ecological studies in our woodlands. We often collaborate with a professional forester in this activity as we work to conserve our land in a way that meets everyone's needs. GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping work is also a part of this activity as we continue to add to the electronic data of our campus.
Carpentry
Basic carpentry skills are introduced including the use of hammers, saws, measuring tapes, levels, and squares. Students assist in ongoing repairs and construction projects on campus.
Community Service
Students do a variety of volunteer work, such as assisting senior citizens with yard work, picking vegetables for the Vermont Foodbank, and doing trail maintenance with the Putney Conservation Commission. Other options may be available, based on students’ interests.
Farm - Land Use
Students are engaged in all aspects of running a diversified farm. Activities may include: fencing, haying, sugaring, animal husbandry (cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, turkeys, etc.), building, and clearing land.
Garden - Land Use
Growing food locally and sustainably is an important way to address global environmental issues. It is also a rewarding and enjoyable way to connect with the earth that sustains us. The work in this activity varies seasonally. In the spring the work involves seeding, transplanting, and work in the greenhouse. In the fall, time is spent harvesting and preserving veggies, flowers, and fruits.
Kitchen
In this activity, students work in the kitchen to prepare dinner for the entire school. They are introduced to basic kitchen skills such as handling a knife and preparing salad in addition to learning cooking techniques such as sautéing, steaming, boiling and roasting. Duties may also include cleaning and stocking. Students are expected to maintain a professional level in terms of cooking skills, cleanliness and high food-quality standards.
Maintenance
Reality and its practical applications are given the hands-on approach in this activity. Carmelita Hinton’s work ethic versus the Victorian school of condescension toward dirt under the fingernails is at the heart here. Entropy, creating order out of chaos, a priori philosophical constructs, and how to unclog a sink drain are all part of learning “grunt” work at Putney.
Recycling
Recycling is an active activity, responsible for collecting and monitoring our recyclable waste. Students rotate through the buildings to collect recyclables and keep the collection areas sanitary and organized. More than just collecting cans, the purpose of this activity is to educate the community about the reuse and recycling of waste.
Sheep and Garden - Land Use
The sheep and garden activity meets in the fall and spring terms. Students care for the sheep, which includes cleaning their pen each week, assisting with both trimming hooves and shearing them, and washing fleeces in preparation for hand spinning. This activity also includes tending the dye garden by growing plants, weeding, and harvesting dye materials. This activity allows Putney students to dye fleece and yarn gathered and spun by the community using plants grown and harvested on campus.
Sustainability Crew
This activity puts students in the front seat of sustaining and improving the environmental stewardship of our community. Students facilitate the reduction of excess materials into our campus waste stream by managing elements of the composting and recycling programs and contributing directly to the process of re-imagining what it means to be a sustainable school. Students also innovate and implement improvements to the conservation systems we already have in place. This may include anything from design, construction, art work, conducting interviews, writing proposals, or collaborating with other groups to pursue our school’s commitment to “steward and protect the land . . . and shape our community as a model of sustainable living.”
Theater Tech
Students in this activity are responsible for the physical elements for the current play in production. We build and paint the sets and fixtures to create the magical elements that are part of theater production.The students are included in the design concept and give input toward that end. They learn to use both hand and power tools, mix colors, and paint scenery.
Theater Tech - Light and Sound
The light and sound theater tech activity is responsible for the soundscape and lighting elements of the current play in production. We train carefully and work with a variety of technical equipment. Technicians practice task execution on cue to create an immersive theatrical experience with the stage performers. Students also learn how to "run the board" for assembly.
Woods Crew - Land Use
The woods crew activity involves both firewood preparation and forest management. Students share responsibility for producing and transporting sufficient firewood for a number of heating stoves on and near campus as well as the wood-fired baking oven in the school dining hall. This is a rigorous outdoor activity that acquaints students with Putney’s wood lots, teaches them responsible stewardship of the land, and instills a sense of self-reliance in a rural setting.