The Program
The Pilot Light Fellowship Alumni Network (FAN) is a coalition of 50+ educators who continue to utilize Food Education in their classrooms following their time as a Food Education Fellow. FAN members are invested in the future of Food Education and demonstrate leadership of Food Ed. initiatives in their schools and communities.
The Goal
To connect educators both to each other and to Pilot Light resources so they are equipped to act as Food Education leaders in their communities.
By fostering peer to peer connections, we aim to support FAN members to connect with community partners and political leaders in their community as well as continue their professional growth through Food Education. Our ultimate goal is to deepen teacher professional development and follow educator leadership as the pioneers of classroom-based Food Education.
The History
Since its founding in 2019, The Food Education Fellowship has grown exponentially. Over the past 5 years, we have been fortunate to work with:
- over 70 Fellows in 18 states
- from all grade bands PreK-12
- in a variety of subject areas and educational specialties.
We are continually inspired by the leadership and creativity of our Fellows and by their enthusiasm for Food Education. Thus, the FAN was born: an opportunity to engage with teachers following their year in the Fellowship and keep them connected to each other through Food Ed..
“It has been such a pleasure to see the growth and evolution of Pilot Light throughout the years and it always saddened me to think I could not be as active in the organization without being a Fellow. [The launch of] the FAN allows for continued professional development and continued connection to Pilot Light as the development and expansion of the program continues.” –FAN Member Judith M.
The Structure
First established in late 2023, the FAN is a creative and supportive peer learning community for Pilot Light teachers. We aim to foster connections between FAN members across disciplines, geographic locations, and backgrounds. Accordingly, the FAN offers a variety of pillars and activities to engage members with Pilot Light’s Food Education community in ways that fit each individual’s goals and teaching styles…
As the Food Ed. Fellowship has grown, Pilot Light has consistently heard a desire from educators to continue using Food Education in their classrooms after their year in the program. Through the FAN, educators can continue their learning through special professional development opportunities exclusive to alumni.
Active FAN members are connected with other Alumni, current Fellows, and Pilot Light staff for office hours, mentoring, and peer learning opportunities.
Over the past 5 years, Pilot Light has witnessed incredible connections grow between Fellows. It is our goal to continue to deepen these community bonds between FAN members and current Fellows through network building opportunities and, eventually, both in-person and virtual FAN events.
As part of our commitment to Food Education Standard #7, we aim to utilize the collective power of the FAN to inform and transform our organization’s growth. By continuing to engage FAN members beyond their year in the Fellowship, we strive to identify leadership opportunities within Pilot Light for Alumni including, but not limited to:
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- informing our evaluation practices
- serving Pilot Light through our Ambassador program, Advisory Board, and/or our Board of Directors
- involvement in our policy work through site visits with elected officials and local advocacy opportunities
- creation of opportunities and resources to serve Pilot Light’s other programs and initiatives like Classroom to Cafeteria and The Food Education Center.
The Results/Evaluation
Pilot Light’s teacher-centered evaluation model for the FAN aims to measure the transfer of Food Education knowledge, behavior, skills, and attitudes between teachers, students, and their communities.* This model recognizes that all three agents (teachers, students, communities) already hold their own lived experiences and expertise and aims to build upon and transfer that knowledge through our integrated Food Ed. model.
We hope that teachers choose to join the FAN because they want to stay connected to the Pilot Light community. As the FAN develops, we plan to track this engagement through participation rates, responsiveness to surveys, qualitative feedback, and resource sharing with the Pilot Light team and teacher peers.
*At Pilot Light, we understand that students of all ages are important members of their personal families as well as their broader communities and food systems. We see students as influential agents of change in their caregiving units/families, local businesses, nonprofit partners, farm systems, restaurants, and more.
Meet the FAN
Each FAN member offers a unique and vital perspective on how Food Ed. works in the classroom and transfers into the community. We believe that every single educator we work with is an expert on their classroom’s unique needs and abilities to transform the food system, one lesson at a time. By partnering with teachers from a diversity of grade levels, subject areas, and geographic and cultural backgrounds, Pilot Light strives to follow teacher leadership and expertise as we continuously grow our Food Education programs and initiatives.
Grade Level(s) Taught
