On July 13, Working Land Alliance’s annual field trip was held at Common Ground in New Haven. Part of the program included a tour of this remarkable center, located at the base of West Rock, led by executive director Melissa Spear. Common Ground’s website refers to the center as a high school, urban farm, and environmental education center where “a diverse community of children, young people, and adults cultivate habits of healthy living and sustainable environmental practice.”
Common Ground High School is the first charter school in the United States focused on the urban environment. The school incorporates environmental themes into every class, even ones not associated with the environment in a traditional high school. Other courses offer students the opportunity to operate small businesses using products from the farm on campus.
The center, however, is far from just a high school. Common Ground offers community programs from September to June, Open Farm Days every Saturday, and an On-Site Farm Market every Wednesday. The center also offers a variety of children's programs and a large summer camp. The on-site one-acre urban farm produced 6,201 pounds of food last season and employed 50 teenagers. A campground nestled in the trees is available for rental, and the center offers birthday parties and a community kitchen.
The unusual educational experience at the high school itself seems to be working. The school is now New Haven’s highest-performing public school in reading, and its students scored above the New Haven city average in every subject area on the latest Connecticut Academic Performance Tests. In addition, 94% of Common Ground students are admitted to college, with the remaining 6% attending other higher educational programs. Perhaps most remarkably, Common Ground is the only high school in the state to leave the “No Child Left Behind in need of improvement” status in 2009.
Common Ground is a truly extraordinary high school and community center. I have lived in New Haven for fifteen years, and at times I could not believe that I was in the same city while touring the grounds. Everyone, from prospective students and parents to community members who want to get outside for a day, should remember that this oasis exists just a five to ten minute drive from downtown New Haven.
For the contact information of various Common Ground employees, click here.
Picture from http://www.nhep.com/.
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