High School Senior Chooses Moose Hill for an Externship

Canton High School has run an Externship program for students for four years. For 6-7 weeks, seniors have an opportunity to gain new skills outside of the classroom. Catherine (Cat) Song reached out to several places before meeting with Jan Goba and talking about potential opportunities at Moose Hill. With classes all done, seniors in the Externship program returned to school on May 25 to share their experiences and present summaries and display boards for fellow classmates, teachers, parents, and community leaders. Below is Cat’s recollection of her experience at Moose Hill.

When I first arriCat Songved at Sharon’s Moose Hill, I remember simply thinking how scenic it was, how picturesque the historical white nature center looked amidst the backdrop of budding trees. I remember walking the beautiful green trails, just glad that I was in my happy place – nature. I only faintly remember the solar panels on the roof, and meeting the volunteer coordinator, Jan. Little did I know at the time that my Externship at Moose Hill would become more about those I would work with than the hands-on nature outside. And that wasn’t a bad thing at all.

Beginning my Externship at Moose Hill, I assumed I would be working outdoors, planting and weeding on the organic farm, or maintaining the sanctuary’s twenty-five miles of trails. The first day, however, Karen – the sanctuary director – assigned me a seemingly endless stack of camp photographs – of which I needed to organize, and collage in a scrapbook. My initial reaction, masked by an attempted poker face – was disappointment. However, over the next few weeks, the tedious task of sorting became a sort of rhythm each day in Karen’s office. And I’ll admit, it wasn’t even half bad – it became relaxing almost, especially with my Spotify playlist on in the background. Pretty soon, I began having regular conversations with Karen too, and that was when I began to realize it was the connection and discussion that made my Externship so worthwhile. We talked about Moose Hill’s own From Moose Hill Parkway edited2conservation efforts – their installation of the solar panels I saw on the first day, Karen’s efforts to acquire a compost method for the sanctuary, and more. And I began voicing my desire to change our Canton High School lunch trays from styrofoam to a more eco-friendly alternative, such as reusable trays or perhaps cardboard to recycle. We also bonded over my Spotify playlist (featuring some classic Bob Marley, of course). The photograph sorting, in the end, became bearable, because I looked forward to the interesting conversations every day.

In the later wmh6eeks, I often went downstairs to Jan’s office too, where I’d help her with miscellaneous tasks such as organization and advertisement for Moose Hill’s many children’s programs, hiking trails, and plant sales. With Jan, I also talked so much about the outdoors – her own spiritual nature trips as well as Moose Hill’s ongoing desire to involve all the surrounding communities in their nature-immersive programs. And just as in my advertising assignments, I learned that communication, in whatever one does in life, is key. Communication, whether that be for publicity of a certain product, or simply moving forward in a project, is crucial to self and community-wide progress.welcome to the farm

Had I simply been working on the farm, I feel I would have gotten a very singular viewpoint of Mass Audubon and nature reserves – I would have thought they are simply hiking places, a place for anyone to escape if they enjoy being outside. What I learned, however, was so much more meaningful – the people there, with all of their ideas, discussions, and projects, are who will pioneer real progress, especially in the movement to help the Earth and the environment.

As I leave this wonderful experience, I would love to thank my mentors Jan and Karen for their time and showing me all of the amazing ideas Moose Hill has to offer.

We will miss Cat – those discussions, playlists, and projects were such a great part of our day too! Prom, graduation, and summer fun are just around the corner for Cat as she gets ready to head to Princeton University. We look forward to seeing her here, at Moose Hill, over the summer and wish her all the luck in the world in her next big adventures – we know for sure she will go far! Thank you Cat for sharing your time, energy, and talents with us.

2 thoughts on “High School Senior Chooses Moose Hill for an Externship

  1. Bob Bussewitz

    Just to extend my deep appreciation to all of you involved in this “externship” program. Having “lived” at Moose Hill, during time of my dad’s tenure as director, it’s wonderful to see how the program of our day has broadened in so many ways, drawn in so many folks from different spheres, and yet not even forgotten in the sense that the original spirit of the place is recalled….

    Reply
    1. Karen Stein Post author

      Thanks Bob – 100 years strong with opportunities to grow and thankful for the deep roots set by those before us, such as your father. We love that we have strong traditions and we are excited by our continued reach out into the communities in which we live.

      Reply

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