The New Roots Charter School, founded on values of empowering and educating students on paths in social, economic, and ecological sustainability, is now expanding its operations to be a middle and high school starting this Fall. New Roots offers interdisciplinary coursework for eligible students from grades 6-12, featuring hands-on, community-based learning that gives students problem-solving skills that apply to real-world issues. The school’s mission is to use their small-school design to create a learning community that integrates the best practices in sustainability education while also supporting educational equity to give students the edge for their college and adult careers.
The New Roots Charter School answers the call of the United Nations’ Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by identifying local sustainability challenges and integrating local knowledge and skills into solution building within the context of the international community. The specific learning plan of each student at New Roots offers leadership initiatives on sustainability in the Ithaca community through democratic school decision-making processes and learning critical thinking skills and knowledge needed to empower the next generation of “green” entrepreneurs.
These skills are seen through student participation in the school’s sustainable agriculture and food systems program course offerings, including visits to local farms, school gardening, and agricultural education, in harmony with the locally sourced, free, fresh breakfasts and lunches. A group of New Roots students called the Youth Ecological Restoration Corps has also participated in the Cayuga Wetlands Restoration Project, developing skills in ecosystem regeneration, species reintroduction, and land protection to work toward improving the water quality and biodiversity in Cayuga’s southern shores.
New Roots’ school culture continues to encourage students to pursue these opportunities that not only make them active members of the Ithaca ecosystem but also produce young environmental stewards with a sense of responsibility to the land they use. New Roots’ success allows us to keep asking the questions: where are we going, how will we get there, what is our role, and how do we prepare for what’s to come?
Contact Information
Website: https://newrootsschool.org/
Phone: (607) 882-9220
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newrootsschool/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewRootsCharterSchool/
