The MCS Farm: A Tradition of Generations

Robert Wilson, a proud alumni from the Class of 1982 and a dedicated parent to Ezra (7th grade) and Isaiah (6th grade). Robert has a deep appreciation for the transformative experiences that take place at the farm, where students step beyond their city lives to milk cows, gather eggs, tap maple trees, and truly immerse themselves in nature.

But beyond these hands-on experiences, Robert understands the farm’s deeper impact: the sense of community, independence, and lifelong memories it instills in each child. As a parent, he has witnessed firsthand how these moments shape not just a child’s week, but their entire perspective on the world.

Read on as Robert shares his reflections on the profound and lasting influence of the farm experience.

The Farm

There are so many things that go on at the farm.

The obvious one is that a bunch of city kids are exposed to a completely different way of living. They milk cows. They collect eggs from chickens. They collect sap from trees and watch it boil down to maple syrup. They spin wool and weave. They are surrounded by fields and woods, and take it all in as their own.

But more than this, for a week at a time they live a life that is a community of their very own. Years ago I picked up one of my kids after a farm trip. I think he was probably about 8 or 9. I picked up his duffle bag and we made it halfway down the block when he stopped, looked me in the eye and said, “I don’t want to be here with you right now.” Once I got over my shock (and feeling a bit hurt), but I realized that he’d had such an amazing week with his friends that he didn’t want to leave it. He wanted to still be there with them.

I love my child, and he loves me, but I’m also in awe of an experience that he loved so deeply. This is a good childhood. These are experiences for a child to carry in their heart for the rest of their life.