2025 - 2026 School Farmer

School Farmer Educator, .6 FTE, 12-month

Founded in 1961, Sandy Spring Friends School is a progressive, coed, academically-rigorous day and boarding school serving approximately 620 students from age three through 12th grade. The campus is located on 140 acres in the historic Sandy Spring area of Montgomery County, Maryland, and the School is approved by the Maryland State Board of Education and accredited by the Association of Independent Maryland Schools.

Our school’s culture, rooted in the idea that collaboration engenders achievement, can be traced to our Quaker heritage and abiding belief in the Quaker values of simplicity, equality, integrity, stewardship of the environment, and peaceful resolution of conflict.

Summary: SSFS seeks a visionary, mission-driven, and committed School Farmer to join our community, stewarding the School’s 1.25-acre farm and collaborating with our PK3-12th grade faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni to promote and teach sustainable and regenerative agriculture methods. The farm program will exemplify all four pillars of SSFS. Harvested crops will provide some produce to be used in the School’s food service operation. The Farmer will utilize the campus GreenHouse and make it operational. The School Farmer reports directly to the Lower School Division Head for Curriculum and to the Chief Operations Officer.

We are seeking a thoughtful and professional farmer and teacher who is skilled in fostering partnerships with adults and children; an advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; a reflective, growth-mindset-driven educator who embraces Quaker values and the Quaker process. In addition to the duties described below, the Farmer Educator will prepare and submit the farm’s annual budget, and participate in SSFS employee meetings, events, and committees. Based on the needs of the farm, vacation for this role may not align with school-designated closure times. 

Farmer: Manage and oversee 1.25 acres of farm land on SSFS school property using regenerative agriculture practices and methods in order to 

• Ensure healthy soil that improves each year for optimal plant health and pest control

• Grow and harvest premium, organic vegetables and fruits to supplement offerings in our School cafeteria

• Plant and maintain cover crops, flowers/pollinator attractors, and “green manure” on unused portions of the farm as part of a comprehensive and sustainable land usage plan.In addition to regular farming duties (seed ordering, equipment and tool maintenance, managing compost, crop planning and planting, weeding, harvesting, cleaning and transporting produce for use in the cafeteria, etc.)

• Help plan and execute fundraising events for the farm guided by the Advancement Office (for example: Farm to Table Dinner, Spring Plant Sale, Fall Pumpkin Sale)

• Work with the school’s Farm Committee to put forth a vision for the farm in the life of the school and to plan farm related events and experiences

• Attend grower’s meetings, make connections with local farms and farmers, attend sustainable agriculture related conferences

Connecting to Curriculum: Work with SSFS faculty and staff to build and enhance curricular tie-ins for experiential learning opportunities at all grade levels. Lower School classes will rotate through the farm weekly. In addition, this position will also 

• Coordinate, plan, and implement curricular and co-curricular tie-ins and experiential learning for the Lower School, enrichment for the Middle School and other opportunities across divisions

• Play a key role in organizing and leading projects during all-school community days (one in the fall, one in the spring)

• Help plan and lead a week-long farming experience during the Upper School’s “Intersession Week” in the spring

• Update and utilize the campus GreenHouse

• Participate in the Upper School PE offerings as requested

• Make a plan and maintain the school’s fields near the Spring as is feasible

Education and experience

• Minimum 3 years hands-on farming and farm-management experience using regenerative agriculture practices 

• B.A. or B.S. minimum

• Prior teaching experience 

• Ability to read, write and speak English sufficiently to perform all of the duties of the position

• Proficient in GoogleSuite, MS Office, and other software applications

• Must have a valid Maryland driver’s license

• Must have valid First Aid, CPR, and AED certifications (Sandy Spring Friends School will provide training to achieve certification(s), as needed)

Physical Requirements: Must be able to safely perform all physical duties related to farming including planting, harvesting, moving heavy equipment and materials, and working in varying temperatures and weather conditions. Daily desk work includes computer time. As part of daily routines, the job requires the ability to maneuver around a large campus with several buildings and uneven pavement; bending and squatting as required to participate in farming and classroom activities; shifting furniture as needed; lifting/carrying boxes up to 50 pounds; frequent walking inside and outside as part of general job duties and responding to students and/or job needs. 

Please note that the School has a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, which requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination. 

Commitment to Diversity: Sandy Spring Friends School embraces the Quaker testimony of Equality and seeks applicants who represent all backgrounds and demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We greatly value our diverse student population and we actively seek faculty representatives of our students’ diversity. Click to learn more about diversity at Sandy Spring Friends School. Special consideration may be given to members of The Religious Society of Friends.

Please provide a cover letter, resume, completed application, and three professional references by selecting the link.