Ishpeming High School LIFT UP Students Recognized for Bringing Food to Their Cafeteria
Partridge Creek Farm manager Allison Stawara and interns Journey Comment and Brynn Way-Lanala prepare a bed for planting onions. Photo credit: Abbey Palmer
In a press release collaboratively published by the Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center and Melissa Meldrum Ishpeming High School English Teacher, High School students in the UP were recognized for their work in bringing more food to the Negaunee, Ishpeming, and Munising school Cafeterias.
These student led projects were made possible through the “Locally-Integrated Food Teams in the Upper Peninsula” (LIFT-UP) program where students are given the opportunity to work together to create a grant proposal to help solve a local farming problem. If awarded for their projects students receive $2500 in grant funds to execute their project with their classmates and help of their teacher.
Learn More About PCF’s Involvement in the LIFT UP Program
2025 LIFT UP Student Seasonal Workers
Partridge Creek Farm welcomed two Ishpeming High School paid interns during the 2025 growing season. These interns helped with important farm work like transplanting, growing, and harvesting food! The food they’ve worked hard to grow will be served in the Ishpeming cafeteria in the fall.
In an excerpt from the press release both interns explain the importance of this internship to them. “This experience has deepened Brynn Way-Lanala’s understanding of food: “I’ve learned different vegetables and gotten to see the whole life cycle of plants through this internship.” The potential impacts of this internship also look forward to the future: “I want to be a teacher, and my experience with this project means that I will bring kids to gardens and teach them what I’ve learned here,” said Partridge Creek Farm intern Journey Comment.”
PCF is grateful for Brynn and Journey’s hardwork this season!
Photo: Interns Journey Comment and Brynn Way-Lanala work with Lareina VanStrien at Partridge Creek Farm, located near Ishpeming High School and Jasperlite Senior Housing. Photo credit: Abbey Palmer
LIFT UP Students Work with PCF
In 2024 Melissa Meldrum’s High School English class joined PCF at the Community Farm to plant the first ever crop on the site, potatoes! Then, in fall of 2025 a new LIFT UP group of students came to the Farm to harvest the potatoes.
Prior to planting the first crop on the sight this class joined the PCF growing team in April 2024 to help finalize the hoophouse by putting the plastic covering on the frame. The class worked hard and helped prepare PCF for the growing season!
Photo: 2024 Ishpeming High School LIFT UP students plant the first ever crop on the farm, potatoes. Photo Credit: Camden Kinnie
A thank you to community partners.
From the press release: “None of this would be possible without LIFT-UP’s community partners, Chartwells, Fork Farms, Marquette Food Co-op, Marquette-Alger RESA, Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety, Michigan State University Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center, Northwoods Test Kitchen, and Partridge Creek Farm. The partners from these organizations reviewed student grants and visited classrooms to help students develop their projects and make real-world connections around local food. This project is supported by funding from Michigan Health Endowment Fund’s Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles grant program.”
