Building school-based enterprises; growing the next generation of entreprenuers.

Chimacum Junior/Senior High School offers two food & farm-related Career & Technical Education courses: Horticulture, and Culinary Arts. We know that students who have rich, meaningful, real-world experiences learn best; as such, our Horticulture & Culinary Arts instructors have been crafting a vision for school-based, community-connected enterprises to strengthen students’ sense of place and give them a taste of entrepreneurship. Dreams include growing vegetables for sale; developing value-added products like herb blends and baking mixes; building a seed business; and launching a school-based food truck! Teachers have great ideas and the skills to build rich programs, but little spare time or extra resources to bring these dreams to fruition. CWP can add capacity through grant writing, fundraising, researching, community organizing, networking, and volunteer coordination. Stay tuned over the coming months as we build business plans and launch student-led businesses!

We know most of the students who complete these CTE courses will not choose a career in the food and farm sectors, but we hope their career pathways will benefit from the experience of launching and growing a small enterprise!

Food Education & Enterprise Development

In 2018 the Community Wellness Project launched the Food Education & Enterprise Development (FEED) Lecture Series on local food and farm issues for Horticulture and Culinary Arts students at Chimacum High School. Now in its fifth year, the program has grown and evolved since its inception—lectures include topics like farming vegetables, grain, meat, and shellfish, as well as value-added businesses like creameries, farm to table restaurants, bakeries, and farm-based tourism. Students hear stories of how farmers, fishers, and entrepreneurs in their community have built their own individual careers, as well as gain insight into the pros and cons of various career pathways. We are so grateful to the dozens of local folks who have so graciously shared their wisdom and expertise with local students!