An urban farming and ecology-centered local charter school has grown its outdoor classrooms on the far west side of town thanks to a team of environmental educators funded by a two-year, $100,000 federal grant.
That’s the latest with Common Ground High School, as reported in a Tuesday press release by Common Ground Director of Community Impact & Engagement Joel Tolman and Common Ground Schoolyards Program Manager Robyn Stewart.
According to that press release, a two-year, $100,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency has allowed for “dedicated environmental educators” from Common Ground to work at Common Ground, Brennan Rogers School, and Elm City Montessori each week. That grant has also provided $5,000 mini-grants to help those schools grow their outdoor classrooms. And it’s funded extra support from nonprofit partners Gather New Haven and Emerge CT.
See below for Tuesday’s press release in full.
New Haven, CT, December 20, 2022 — At three New Haven public schools, students have new opportunities to learn outside, explore the urban waters and outdoor classrooms just out their buildings, and help to steward the beautiful natural areas at the base of West Rock. Thanks to a $100,000, 2‑year grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, each school now has dedicated environmental educators from Common Ground’s staff at their site each week, $5,000 mini-grants to grow their outdoor classrooms, and extra support from Common Ground’s Schoolyards program, Gather New Haven, and Emerge CT.
This fall and winter, students and teachers are diving in. At Elm City Montessori School, students and staff are drawing up plans for a new farm that 7th and 8th grade students will use to develop business skills, learn about natural systems, and practice their leadership and academic skills. “Our students really enjoyed seeing the big operation of composting at CG,” says science teacher James Erard. “They learned how deliberate Common Ground is with sorting, and how careful they have to be. They were surprised about how hot it got inside the compost heap. Our students climbed into the compost bin with our host, who was very inclusive and connected with the students. This experience of learning about composting fit in with their understanding of biomes and microbiomes.”
Just down the street at Brennan Rogers Magnet School, Common Ground environmental educator Emily Sorensen teams up with students to dig in garden beds, plant flower bulbs for spring, and prepare the gardens for winter. Students are learning about soil, discovering the joys of playing in the rain, and practicing math skills in the garden. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Brennan Rogers students and staff to work together on meaningful projects, says Lensley Gay, who leads the Family Resource Center at Brennan Rogers. “I would like to thank all of the individuals involved in writing the grant.”
And in between – at Common Ground High School, Urban Farm & Environmental Education Center – teachers are making commitments to include outdoor learning on the farm, forest, and city of New Haven in every one of their courses this school year.
“Common Ground’s Schoolyards program has environmental educators embedded at 10 New Haven Public Schools to support school gardens and outdoor learning,” explains Robyn Stewart, who’s leading this partnership and manages Common Ground’s work with local public schools. “This new EPA grant feels exciting and different because we’re able to go even deeper at these three schools, which are our neighbors and have a long history of working together.”
“We’re so excited that these three schools – connected by our neighborhood, the West River, and West Rock State Park – now have the chance to connect more with each other,” says Joel Tolman, who’s co-leading the project with Robyn Stewart. The day before Thanksgiving, for instance, seniors from Common Ground walked to Brennan Rogers and Elm City Montessori to lead outdoor stewardship projects, farm-based harvest cooking activities, and tutoring and mentoring opportunities. Later this spring, students in Common Ground’s 10th grade environmental science classes plan to teach hands-on lessons about Wintergreen Brook and the West River Watershed to students at their neighboring schools. Students from both schools will travel to Common Ground for field trips, as well.
Two community organizations – Gather New Haven and Emerge CT – are signed on to support these schools’ environmental education efforts, as well. When students’ own strength and skill reaches its limit, Emerge team members will show up to help schools improve their outdoor classrooms. Students will get the opportunity to explore and steward Gather New Haven preserves along New Haven’s urban waters – particularly Pond Lily Nature Preserve, around the corner from all three schools. Young people in Gather New Haven’s Growing Entrepreneurs program will be on call to help build raised garden beds and contribute in other ways.
“New Haven has such a strong community of schools and organizations, working together to support environmental stewardship and outdoor learning,” says Tolman at Common Ground. “We’re really grateful to EPA for lending their support to this effort.”
Two years of funding to support this effort came through the EPA’s Environmental Education Grant Program. This is one of 3 grants awarded in New England in 2022, and 34 grants nationally. For more information on the grant, click here.
About Common Ground
Common Ground is:
● The nation’s oldest environmental charter high school, helping 225 students travel pathways to college success, powerful leadership, meaningful careers, and happy, healthy, sustainable lives.
● An environmental education center, connecting more than 15,000 community members per year with the natural world and the sources of their food.
● An urban farm, modeling practices of sustainable agriculture and contributing healthy, fresh food to our community.
As a whole, Common Ground is a center for learning and leadership, inviting people across ages and identities to connect to their urban environment, build community, grow into their full potential, and contribute to a just and sustainable world. For more information about Common Ground, visit www.commongroundct.org.
This work is funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement number NE 00A004-63 to the New Haven Ecology Project. However, it may not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred.
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