Greetings New Roots Community,
I was so honored to be part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremonies at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center when senior Ayden Githinji received the Kirby Edmonds ACTION Award for Social Justice!
Kirby Edmonds played a powerful role in the founding and early development of New Roots. With his support we became the first school in the nation to be recognized as a Human Rights Friendly School. My gratitude for his support during those challenging times runs deep.
So to see Ayden receive this award was an incredibly moving experience. To hear our trustee Ms. Millie Clarke Maynard’s impassioned words about the value of New Roots in the lives of our young people and the wider community brought me great joy, as has seeing this young person grow into the phenomenal young woman that she is today over the years. You can read more about Ayden in our press release.
I am grateful for the many, many seeds of learning experiences our faculty and staff create for our young people, and created for our young people each and every day that allow them to blossom, each in their own way and in their own time.
With gratitude,
Tina Nilsen-Hodges
Founder and Principal
This photo is of New Roots trustee Millie Clarke Maynard speaking about Ayden taken by long-time New Roots teacher Sue Schwartz truly captures the joy of the moment!