As June comes to a close, this year’s Foxfire Fellows have returned to the property to put together the Spring/Summer edition of the Foxfire Magazine; however, they also have another goal in mind. The SEED projects — Students Experiencing Education Differently — allow the Fellows to choose topics in which they are interested as their focuses as they create additions to the museum, interview experts, and summarize their experiences for future generations of Foxfire students to learn. 

I’m Madison Perdue, a Foxfire Fellow and a rising senior at Tallulah Falls School. Over the course of the next few weeks, I am going to be taking over the Foxfire Podcast, “It Still Lives.” I will be documenting my peers’ SEED projects and explaining the processes of research, construction, and creation through which they learn. 

The Fellows will be focusing on a wide variety of topics: one group is focusing heavily on getting back to the roots of Foxfire as they interview some of the original students of the program; another group will be exploring the wonders of herbalism as they learn about herbal medicine, foraging, and the practicality of plants for everyday life. The final two groups will be working more closely with one another as they explore Southern Appalachia’s waterways. The topics of interest will include boatbuilding (and the construction of practical structures pre-power tools)  and the fishing methods of native Appalachians from 75-100 years ago.

As has always been the case with Foxfire, preserving Appalachian heritage remains at the forefront of the SEED projects. The Fellows have designed their projects with tradition in mind. As you follow our journey of discovery and creation, we encourage you to consider the following theme: how tradition finds a new generation.

Foxfire Summer Leaders, 2021