In The News

The 2009 New Roots Summer Newsletter is now available.

September 1st, 6:30-8:30 at The Clinton House.  Come meet our faculty and see our facility.

New Roots, opening in the heart of downtown Ithaca at The Clinton House on September 9th, has begun an outreach campaign to let the area's young people know that there are only ten openings left!  To avoid disappointment come September, interested upcoming 9thand 10th graders from Ithaca and the surrounding regions are encouraged to contact New Roots with questions. 

The New Roots faculty has begun professional development workshops to help make the school's mission come to life. New Roots aims to integrate expeditionary, interdisciplinary, and place-based learning into the curriculum. Expeditionary Learning Schools, along with State Education and Environment Roundtable (SEER) and the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, have collaborated with the New Roots faculty in their preparation for the school's opening in September.

New Roots Charter School faculty begin working with Jayne Henn from the State Education and Environment Roundtable (SEER) at the Clinton House in downtown Ithaca today. SEER was formed as a collaborative effort of 16 state departments of education. As a result of this collaboration, SEER has developed a model of education called "Environment as Integrating Context for Education," which 10 years of research demonstrates increases engagement and academic achievement for students in all demographic groups. "Schools like New Roots are part of a critical movement to transform secondary education in the U.S., providing the academic preparation mandated by the state in a context that is relevant and engaging, and ultimately that prepares students to enter the world of work with vision and initiative to meet the challenges of the 21st century," said Dr. Gerald Lieberman, Director of SEER. Go to our faculty bios and get to know the New Roots faculty!    

At the June 9, 2009 meeting of the New Roots Charter School Board of Trustees, approval was given to seven more faculty members, bringing the total now approved to 13. This means the founding faculty team is now nearly complete. Of the new faculty beginning their foundational staff and curriculum development process this summer Principal Tina Nilsen-Hodges said, "What an amazing group of people, and what great commitment to the school they’re demonstrating already." Go to our faculty bios page.

On Sept. 9, New Roots Charter School will open in the historic Clinton House on Cayuga Street in downtown Ithaca. Recently, attention has revolved around the logistics and functionality of the school, but New Roots is not just about politics. Principal Tina Nilsen-Hodges and Board Chairman Jason Hamilton have worked with dozens of people and entities from all over the region, including higher education institutions such as Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins County Community College, to develop a school that is dedicated to equitable practices and research-based teaching methods.

Q. What's the best way to teach students about sustainable food systems? A. Put them to work creating one. That's the vision motivating a team of New Roots Charter School staff and volunteers who are developing plans for the school's "farm-to-school" educational programs. New Roots is part of the growing farm-to-school movement which is taking hold in school systems across the country. These programs connect schools with local farms and gardens, serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing health and nutrition education opportunities that will last a lifetime, and supporting local small farmers.  

(Ithaca, NY) The Historic Clinton House of Ithaca LLC announced today that it has finalized its purchase of downtown Ithaca's landmark Clinton House at 116 North Cayuga Street. At the same time, the New Roots Charter School Board of Trustees announced that they will locate the school in the Clinton House.

Clinton House location fulfills goal, officials say.  New Roots Charter School administrators announced Tuesday they will locate in the Clinton House on Cayuga Street, across from The Commons. Read the whole story in the Ithaca Journal.  

Read Principal Tina Nilsen-Hodges' statement to the media.

New Roots Charter School officials made a formal response Friday to a letter sent by Ithaca City School District's Board of Education to the Charter Schools Institute this week, calling the letter "a publicity stunt." Read the story in the Ithaca Journal.

As New York's mandatory application deadline for all state Charter Schools was brought to a close, the upstart New Roots Charter School of Ithaca, NY has found itself way ahead the curve. As of the school's lottery deadline on Wednesday April l, New Roots received 82 enrollment forms, 53 from students within the Ithaca City School District (ICSD). The school will also be welcoming numerous pupils from Lansing, Dryden, Groton, Candor, Trumansburg, Newfield and as far away as Binghamton, Horseheads, Corning, and Aurora.

With over 15 years of experience teaching in a variety of educational settings, Mr. Rodolfo (Rudy) Blackman has been named by the New Roots Board of Trustees as its first Dean of Students.

Act now to protect our youths' right to choose the school that's best for them