What if the future of space exploration started on a farm?What if crop rotation was once considered radical?What if preserving history was actually protecting tomorrow’s breakthroughs?

Welcome to Mount Vernon — and yes, it matters to space.

In this Middle Grade March special, Sara Marie Massee from George Washington’s Mount Vernon connects 18th-century farming innovation to modern sustainability and scientific thinking. We explore crop rotation, soil health, civic duty, and the women who saved Mount Vernon from collapse. This episode shows how research, leadership, and systems thinking build nations — and careers.

🎙 Guest Info

Name: Sara Marie Massee

Title: Manager, Historic Trades Department

Company: Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association

What she really does: She leads the living history team at Mount Vernon, managing demonstrations like blacksmithing and farming while overseeing research, preservation projects, and public programs. She blends leadership, research, communication, and historical analysis every single day.

🛠️ Skills Highlighted in This Episode

⛭ Systems thinking

⛭ Scientific experimentation

⛭ Crop rotation & sustainability

⛭ Research & documentation

⛭ Leadership without formal power

⛭ Civic responsibility

⛭ Project management

⛭ Preservation science

⛭ Analytical thinking

⛭ Passion-driven career paths

📘 EXPLORE MORE

📖 Buy the books: BooksThatBuildSkills.org/Shop

❤️ Donate to our literacy programs: BooksThatBuildSkills.org/Donate

🎯 Guest Website: MountVernon.org

🎯 Guest LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/company/MountVernon

🎯 Guest Facebook: Facebook.com/HistoricMountVernon/

🎯 Guest Instagram: Instagram.com/mount_vernon

🎯 Guest Youtube: youtube.com/c/mountvernon

📚 About the Books Behind This Podcast

The Charms Book Series isn’t just a set of stories—it’s the foundation of everything you see on the Books That Build Skills podcast.Each book follows a curious teen inventor navigating real-world challenges using the same skills our podcast guests talk about—problem-solving, communication, leadership, resilience, and STEM thinking. The podcast shows kids who uses these skills in real life. The books let them practice those skills through story.

When kids read the books and watch the podcast together, learning sticks. Characters make choices, face consequences, and solve problems—just like the professionals you’re meeting in this episode. That’s why we say these are books that don’t just entertain… they build skills.📘

Explore the books, read along, and turn every episode into a real-life learning adventure.

📚 What Is Books That Build Skills Podcast?

Short Episodes. Real People. Real Careers. Real Skills. Zero Boring Adult Talk.

Every episode is a behind-the-scenes look at how incredible careers are built—(industries relevant to this guest)—plus the mistakes, risks, and skills learned along the way. From “I kinda like this…” → “Whoa… I really DID THAT.”

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When certain topics light up, I invite guests back for longer, deeper-dive episodes—walking kids through the full path from middle school → college → career, step by step.

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