The meeting at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute (CSI) seemed to go well yesterday. Our discussion about the New Roots School application lasted an hour and a half, and the CSI staff asked some very substantive questions. They had obviously read our materials thoroughly and prepared for the interview. In particular, they expressed appropriate concern about our rather vague plans for space. It's clearly an issue that we need to spend more time on.  Up to this point, mission and vision, governance, curriculum, and personnel policies have been our primary focus.

We want the school to be located downtown near the Commons, if not right on the Commons. That way the students, who'll be in grades 9-12, will have lots of opportunities for hands-on opportuntities to explore sustainability issues in an urban setting.

The EcoVillage Center for Sustainability Education (ECSE), just outside of Ithaca on the bus line about 15 minutes from the Commons, will also offer students plenty of learning experiences in a more rural landscape, especially around issues of local and organic food. The Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, part of ECSE, will collaborate with the New Roots teachers to design and carry out a curriculum that will increase students' understanding of the many challenges we face as a society when it comes to food, land, and health.

Key to the collaboration between ECSE and New Roots is West Haven Farm, where John and Jen Bokaer-Smith have owned and operated a wonderful community-supported agriculture (CSA) program for over fifteen years. The farm is located on EcoVillage at Ithaca (EVI) land and John and Jen live with their son Nate at EVI. If you're ever in Ithaca, you should stop by their stall at the Ithaca Farmers' Market. Their reputation for being one of the most talented and committed organic farm families in upstate New York is well deserved, and their fruit and vegetables are out of this world. 

Jen is on the New Roots School board of trustees and joined us in Albany yesterday. We all came away from the meeting excited about what we've set in motion and anxious to find out whether our application will make it to the next stage. We should hear sometime next week.