Building a strong “sense of place” is one of nine school-wide outcomes at New Roots Charter School. It’s also the name of our fall intensive program, designed to orient students to our school culture and important landmarks in our community. Getting our students rooted not just to their school building, but to downtown Ithaca as a whole, makes sense for both philosophical and practical...
Voices & Stories
Jhakeem Haltom September 18, 2017
In the Summer of 2015 New Roots' founder and Principal, Tina Nilsen-Hodges, sent our lead science instructor, David Streib, and myself as the Dean of Student Life to a science teachers’ conference hosted by the SUNY College of Envirionmental Science and Forestry and developed by the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force. The conference was focused on ways of incorporating a local...
Joel Tolman July 23, 2017
This spring and summer, Common Ground is trying to do something we’ve never done before. Well, two things actually. We’re trying to build a new, integrated 9th grade experience. Imagine four big units of study, each lasting a quarter of the school year, tackling really big questions like, “How do we feed ourselves, and what does our food tell us about ourselves?” Imagine these units bring...
Brendan Haggerty July 13, 2017
The Greene School (TGS) is as Statewide Public Charter School in Rhode Island. We serve students from twenty-two districts across the state of Rhode Island including urban, suburban, and rural communities. We are a unique schooling option for students in grades 9-12 because of our commitment to engaging a diverse student population in environmental education and social justice. The...
Chamberlain Segrest (Past) June 13, 2017
The flier at the start of this post -- for the 11th grade Green Action Expo at Boston Green Academy -- gives you a glimpse into our school as the year comes to a close. Currently all 6th-11th graders at Boston Green Academy are learning about and preparing for their end-of-year cross curricular exhibitions. Each grade level digs deeply into a sustainability...
Michele Saulis June 9, 2017
Michele Saulis, Magnet School Theme Coach from Connecticut River Academy, shares an update on her school's Teaching Our Cities efforts. Pictured above: Teachers from CT River Academy and other Teaching Our Cities schools share feedback on units of study -- helping incorporate the school's commitment to sustainability and social justice into these units. The Challenge When it comes to...