Ryder Scott included in Hechinger Report story about Telstar Freshman Academy
Ryder Scott, statewide director of the University of Maine 4-H Camps and Learning Centers, was mentioned in The Hechinger Report’s story about Telstar Freshman Academy (TFA). The academy is for first-year students in MSAD 44 in western Maine, where half qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and many are in families experiencing unemployment, domestic violence or substance abuse. All district ninth graders attend TFA weekday mornings at the University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond to participate in hands-on learning activities that encompass several disciplines. Scott helped create the innovative program that merges outdoor and farm-based education with academic instruction. Five faculty members — a humanities teacher, a science teacher, an outdoor education teacher and two 4-H professionals — lead personalized learning projects, including caring for goats, planting a self-sustaining garden, rock climbing and running a restaurant, according to the article. “This style of learning, this family atmosphere that we have here, it’s a real positive in kids’ lives,” said science teacher Kelly Dole. KQED in California reprinted the story.