Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 14

LESSONS FROM A
MUSHROOM FARM:
ecent TA graduate Alyssa Lajoie ’19 got a taste of
the real world last year through an internship at
Mousam Valley Mushrooms, an organic mushroom
farm in Springvale, Maine. For six months, Alyssa
spent two to three days per week on the farm as part
of TA’s Advanced Academic Internship Program, an
opportunity designed to encourage upperclass students to
step out of the classroom and into the world. Under the
advisement of faculty members she literally got her hands
dirty, learning all she could about mushroom farming. She
grew, harvested, packaged, and distributed the fungi, while
also enrolled in Introduction to Business at Southern
Maine Community College—a class that helped her draw
parallels between her classroom learning and what she
experienced in the workplace.
How Alyssa Lajoie ’19
Cultivated a Passion
for Growing
R
With countless hours tending to both the mushrooms
and a college course, Alyssa’s senior year was full of
interesting and challenging lessons. However, Alyssa will
be the first to tell you there’s a lot more to be learned from
mushrooms than farming and business skills. “I found
a love for learning at the farm. This experience opened
up my mind,” said Alyssa during her final presentation
to school administrators and teachers. “I asked more
questions than I’ve ever asked in a classroom because I
was connected to the work..I was surrounded by people
who were mature and independent like me. That helped
me grow not only in the field, but as a person.”
Lajoie discovered her passion for fungi while spending
time in the woods with her family; hiking, four-wheeling,
and exploring. On one expedition she came upon what
she describes as a “glorious” Chicken of the Woods
mushroom, a salmon colored beauty that tastes like
fried chicken. “This was the start of my curiosity about
mushrooms,” explained Lajoie. “Wherever I went, I
searched for edible mushrooms, my mushroom book
in hand... If I could find these mushrooms in southern
Maine, I wondered what other mushrooms I could find
and how much money I could make.” She realized how
lucrative the business could be while watching an episode
of National Geographic’s “Filthy Riches.” In fact, the most
expensive mushrooms can cost thousands of dollars per
pound!
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Alyssa Lajoie ’19
Between the days she worked at
the farm, which she described
as “fun, but back-breaking,”
Alyssa discussed her findings
at the farm and the science of
mushrooms with her biology
teacher, Andrea Bove. The two
spent hours processing what
she observed as she cared for
the diverse array of fungi. They
discussed the intricacies of
how mushrooms grow, their
medicinal and other practical
benefits, and looked at Alyssa’s
many pictures of the diverse
array of fungi she’d grown to
love: Lion’s Mane; Yellow, Blue,
Grey, and Phoenix Oyster;
Shitake; and even her old friend,
Chicken of the Woods.
School counselor Lucretia Wallace, who worked with
Lajoie for four years, praised her enthusiasm and
commitment to a challenging project. “I am so impressed
by her... she had this big idea and she made it happen and
persevered.” Wallace joins many other faculty members
who celebrated Alyssa’s success and the tremendous
growth she found outside of the classroom. She will
continue her studies next year at Southern Maine
Community College and pursue a degree in business.
She hopes to one day open her own business in a nature-
related field. “I have always been fascinated by nature. It
makes me want to push forward and get better... I want to
keep growing.”
Story by Katy Nicketakis & Katie Beane · Photos Courtesy of Alyssa Lajoie & Ayanah Proulx