W.B. Saul High School, a 150-acre working farm in Roxborough, trains the farmers of tomorrow. One grad, TaiLyn Lyghts, returns to campus every weekend, supplementing her Livestock Science and Management coursework at Delaware Valley University with real-life experience, reports Kristen A. Graham for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

“This is full circle for me,” Lyghts said, reflecting on her reconnection with the animals she nurtured in getting her high school diploma and working on a farm. 

Lyghts’ chores working on a farm included feeding and checking on lambs, mucking out stalls, and keeping an eye on an ill cow. 

“She spiked a fever yesterday, but she’s much better today. She’s standing, and she’s more alert,” Lyghts said after checking the cow’s temperature, relief in her voice. 

Lyghts loves the work and plans to make a career out of it.

Growing up in Philadelphia, the daughter of a police officer, she didn’t imagine herself becoming a farmer. She originally saw herself as an elementary school teacher. But her work with 4-H taught her about agriculture. 

She never looked back. “It’s a lot of work,” Lyghts said. “But it’s a passion.” 

For more about how the high school’s unusual curricula are faring working on a farm during remote COVID-19 learning, see The Philadelphia Inquirer.