Any Choate student will tell you that campus is far from a bore, with two I.M. Pei-designed buildings, a five-kilometer cross country course, and a three-story student activities center. What many students don’t know is that Choate is also home to a farm, known as Paddock Farm, located near the Kohler Environmental Center and distinguishable by its big red barn.
Paddock Farm is managed by Mr. Erik Freeman, his wife, Catherine, and their two daughters, Chloe and Nora. This year is the family’s fifth tending to the farm, which is always bustling with a vast array of life, including chickens, ducks, bunnies, an apple orchard, and a plethora of flower beds. The farm was even home to fox kits that grew up underneath the barn.
In this highly unusual year, managing the farm has been refreshing for Mr. Freeman and his family. “It’s better than not living on a farm during a pandemic because we have a lot of space and fresh air,” he explained. “We would just go out and work [on the farm]. It was an ideal scenario for me and my family.”
In a typical year, Paddock Farm is filled with energy. Classes take advantage of the ideal outdoor learning environment. Many students choose to visit the farm to enjoy the peaceful surroundings or to do community service projects such as removing invasive species or gardening. But because of Covid-19, the farm has been unusually quiet throughout the past year. “Events that bring the community up [to the farm] have been much more limited,” said Mr. Freeman.
However, the farm is slowly starting to feel as lively as it had been before the pandemic. On Friday, April 23, and Saturday, May 2, students were given opportunities to complete community service on the farm, where they helped plant potatoes, move rocks, and spread mulch. It was the first time students visited the farm for community service in more than a year.
Mr. Freeman is also hoping for a good season for apple growing, and he plans to invite the Choate community to pick apples and make apple cider at the farm, which wasn’t possible last apple season.
“Every time people come up to the farm, they love it,” he said. “People don’t really think about using Paddock Farm. But people are more than welcome to come to visit. We want them to know that it’s a space available to them. We’re happy to have anyone up there.”
