Fingerlakespermaculture mailing list

[michael <michael AT fingerlakespermaculture.org>]

New Roots Charter School, a free public charter school open to all students in Tompkins and surrounding counties, has launched a Sustainable Agriculture & Food Certificate program. This honors program is designed to provide an in-depth knowledge of social, scientific, and cultural factors about how we bring food to our table.

http://www.newrootsschool.org/content/new-roots-introduces-sustainable-agriculture-food-certificate-program

Through internships, electives, special projects, and events, students will learn skills that few other schools in the country currently offer. Students will also have a range of experiences in culinary arts, farming, nutrition, and business focusing on the connections between the farm, the food, and the table. Required electives include a Culinary Arts class, Foodshed Studies, Sustainable Entrepreneurship, and Ecological Design and plus several others. Enrollees will also have opportunities to earn college credit through Tompkins Community College.

Students will develop portfolios that demonstrate their learning about how cooking, farming, food distribution and processing have developed throughout history. Food insecurity, poor nutrition, ecological degradation, the history of agriculture, and the social causes of hunger and nutrition are some of the various topics that students will examine. Throughout their studies at New Roots, students explore innovative responses to these problems culminating with a senior year Capstone Project when they will immerse themselves in a specific solution on a local scale.

Those who wish to enroll at New Roots and join the program are encouraged to contact Rebecca Cutter via email <rcutter AT newrootsschool.org> or by phone (607-882-9220) at New Roots Charter School.

Local farms, restaurants, food producers and any other organization or business involved in bringing healthy food to our tables and wishes to support, get involved or provide training and internships opportunities are asked to contact Michael Burns at <mburns AT newrootsschool.org>.

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