Sonoma freshman raise a pig and create a business plan for the sausage

Freshmen enjoying year-long interdisciplinary project|

Meet the students who are not afraid to know, as they say, “how the sausage is made” – nor to name the pig who will later occupy those casings.

Sonoma Valley High’s freshman Team Fuji, for the second year, is completing a year-long  “porkfolio” project, in which the students raise winter hogs which are then harvested. The Fuji teachers, together with culinary teacher Jonathan Beard, then teach the students sausage-making. The students find a sausage recipe, participate in the sausage making, and create a business plan for their sausage (with a cost-benefit analysis and pricing decisions), and create a label for their product including product name, logo, nutritional information and an eye-catching design.

Their plan and product are then assembled into “Porkfolios” to be presented to a group of judges from the community.  

This year, workplace learning coordinator Wendy Swanson is strengthening the connection between the students and industry professionals by reaching out to volunteers in the community who act as mentors to two groups of students working on their Porkfolio.

The locals serving this year as mentors include Sondra Bernstein from the girl & the fig, Mark Pasternak from Devil’s Gulch Ranch, Ron Lawson from Field of Greens, Adam Parks from Vintage Farmstead Meat Co., Ken Wornick from Hydeout Farm, Loren Poncia from Stemple Creek Ranch, Gary Edwards from Sage Marketing, Tom Rouse from POM Wonderful and Patricia Shults from the Sonoma Chamber of Commerce.

In addition, all the Team Fuji students are also being mentored in public relations and advertising by Lisa Carlsson, from Carlsson & Company Design, and they recently received a presentation by Mike Eaton of Jackson Family Wines who spoke to the entire team about consumer knowledge and packaging design.

The Team Fuji teachers are ag-science teacher Karling Skoglund, English teacher Veronica Gray, math teacher Devrim Sonmez and PE teacher Bob Midgley. 

On Monday, March 14, the top 10 student groups will present their complete business plans to a panel.

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