Leah Barnes, a first-year elementary education major at Appalachian, holds a chicken at the Livestock station. “I’ve always loved being in nature and I think it’s really cool being able to make new friendships and meet new people while being in this really beautiful place,” she said. Photo by Chase Reynolds
BOONE, N.C. — When choosing Appalachian State University, students new to the university’s Honors College likely didn’t imagine that, before classes began, they would be bonding over how best to hold chickens.
On Aug. 16, these new students joined faculty, staff and other students in Appalachian’s Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development and the Honors College for “Honors College Day at the Farm,” which took place at Appalachian’s Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm. And for some, the day’s activities included learning proper hen-holding technique.
The event provided the students an opportunity to meet and interact with Honors College staff and faculty, as well as learn about sustainable farming and sustainability at Appalachian by visiting different sustainability-themed stations set up around the farm, such as the Making Plant Medicine station, which taught students about making salves and tinctures. Additionally, the Livestock station provided students the opportunity to interact with and learn more about grazing animals, such as cows and chickens.
As part of the Sustainable Development Overview and Appalachian Environmental History station at “Honors College Day at the Farm,” Cody Miller, lecturer in the Department of Sustainable Development, tells students about Appalachian’s history. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Dr. Jefford Vahlbusch, dean of the Honors College at Appalachian. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Solar power provides the energy to the electric fence around the historic garden at the Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm. In the background, students participate in the Historic Vegetable Garden and Seed Saving station. Photo by Chase Reynolds
At the Livestock station, Dr. Anne Fanatico, associate professor in Appalachian’s Department of Sustainable Development, explains the logistics of the research farm’s chicken coop to Honors College students. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Miranda Lowery, a first-year biology major at Appalachian from Chicago. She is a 2018 Chancellor’s Scholar, and cows are her favorite animal, she said. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Eloisa Sanchez, a first-year mathematics major from Zebulon and a 2018 Chancellor’s Scholar. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Michaela Grantham, a senior sustainable development major at Appalachian, leads the Making Plant Medicine station, which teaches students about making salves and tinctures. She is showing students a salve known as Boo Boo Goo, which helps heal cuts, burns and insect bites. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Students pass around the herb comfrey leaf at the Making Plant Medicine station. It is one of the ingredients — along with the plantain leaf and yarrow leaf — used to make the salve known as Boo Boo Goo. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Honors College students learn about the historic garden at the research farm and how to save tomato seeds at the Historic Vegetable Garden and Seed Saving station. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Cielo Murillo-Gomez, a first-year psychology major at Appalachian, holds a chicken at the Livestock station. Murillo-Gomez is a 2018 Chancellor’s Scholar. Photo by Chase Reynolds
During “Honors College Day at the Farm,” Elloree Brown, a first-year interior design major at Appalachian, holds a chicken at the Livestock station. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Leah Barnes, a first-year elementary education major at Appalachian, holds a chicken at the Livestock station. “I’ve always loved being in nature and I think it’s really cool being able to make new friendships and meet new people while being in this really beautiful place,” she said. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Abraham “Abe” Krell, a first-year geography major from Clemmons. Krell, a 2018 Chancellor’s Scholar, said he enjoys learning how the environment is being used sustainably. “It’s really neat seeing how all of the land is allocated and how all of the areas and hills work together,” he said. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Kate Keane, a first-year English major from Parkland, Florida. A 2018 Chancellor’s Scholar, Keane said the day at the farm gave her “more of a feel for how people live here and an understanding of where people are coming from when they write about the Appalachian Mountains.” Photo by Chase Reynolds
Ian Snider, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Sustainable Development, tells students about the research farm’s forested area, which actually makes up a majority of the property. Photo by Chase Reynolds
At the Forestry and Forest Products station, students learn about the farm’s sawmill. Photo by Chase Reynolds
Barnes at the Forestry and Forest Products station. “I didn’t know much about the farm and Appalachian culture, so it’s nice to learn about it while meeting new people,” she said. Photo by Chase Reynolds
At the Making Plant Medicine station, students are shown where the different plants used to make salves and tinctures are grown and how to identify them. Photo by Chase Reynolds
“The goal is to build community in the Honors College,” said Dr. Jefford Vahlbusch, dean of the Honors College. “We have 122 new students coming in, and we want them to see themselves as part of a larger unit, part of a group of really extraordinary students who are here to get a terrific education in Honors and at Appalachian.”
The Department of Sustainable Development is part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. Its Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm is located at Appalachian’s Blackburn Vannoy property in Ashe County.
About the Honors College
More than 500 students are enrolled in Appalachian State University's Honors College, which serves a diverse group of high-achieving, high-potential, highly motivated students from all majors. The Honors College helps students develop independent and creative thinking and high-level research skills; promotes interdisciplinary inquiry; and nurtures cultured and caring exchanges of ideas. The college’s enhanced academic experience prepares students for success in graduate or professional school and for leadership roles in their lives, communities and careers. Learn more at https://honors.appstate.edu.
About the College of Fine and Applied Arts
Appalachian State University’s College of Fine and Applied Arts is a dynamic and innovative group of seven academic departments, bringing together a variety of perspectives, experiences and real-world education to provide unique opportunities for student success. The college has more than 3,500 undergraduate and graduate majors. Its departments are Applied Design, Art, Communication, Military Science and Leadership, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Technology and the Built Environment, and Theatre and Dance. Learn more at https://cfaa.appstate.edu.
About the Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development
One of seven departments housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Goodnight Family Department of Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University prepares students to thoughtfully analyze human development while focusing on the applied practice of pursuing transformative, community-driven development and social change. It offers a Bachelor of Science degree in sustainable development with concentrations in agroecology and sustainable agriculture; community, regional and global development; and environmental studies; as well as a Bachelor of Arts and minor in sustainable development. Learn more at https://sd.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
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