New Roots Announces Details about our Senior Year Program

July 1st, 2011

New Roots Charter School Senior Year Program

The Senior Year Program at New Roots Charter School is an intellectually and academically rigorous year of transition to college and service to our community. 

ALL NEW ROOTS SENIORS WILL:

• DEMONSTRATE COLLEGE READINESS BY PASSING COLLEGE COURSES

Students graduating from New Roots will bring transferable college credits from Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3)with them wherever they go next. This will not only impress admissions officers when our students apply to college after graduation, but will ease the transition to college and save time and tuition costs down the road.

• ORGANIZE TEAMS TO DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN IN RESPONSE TO A COMMUNITY ISSUE 

The Senior Capstone Project will incorporate independent research based on student interests & local sustainability issues.

• TAKE ADVANCED SCIENCE, MATH AND ARTS COURSES
Four years of innovative math and science classes are required to graduate from New Roots, as are core classes in the arts.

• GRADUATE BY EXHIBITION
New Roots seniors can't graduate by accumulating "seat time"-they must demonstrate that they have met all New Roots and state learning standards in their online digital portfolio.

• EXPLORE CAREERS THROUGH INTERNSHIPS
What careers will be hot in our emerging green economy?  Which are a good match for your unique constellation of talents, skills, and interests?  Explore the possibilities through two trimester-long internships in your senior year.

• CREATE A DIGITAL ONLINE PORTFOLIO
This "tour" of documents, photos, video, and other media demonstrates student learning and can be tailored into a compelling project to use for the college admissions process.

• APPLY TO COLLEGE!   
In daily advisory groups, New Roots seniors will work together on the college admissions process, researching and applying to schools and completing all aspects of the process as part of their high school graduation requirements.

SENIOR YEAR AT THE STATE THEATER:

Just around the block from the Clinton House, the historic State Theater will provide a home base for New Roots seniors!  Featuring personal office spaces and seminar rooms, this space will afford our seniors a central location for accessing TC3's downtown campus, the Tompkins Public Library, new arts spaces, and other community resources. The space will also feature a computer lab for online digital portfolio development.

SENIOR YEAR PROGRAM LEAD TEACHER:

Deeply committed to the success of each and every student, Peter McWain has a proven track record in student achievement and engaging curriculum that supports the civic engagement and entrepreneurial thinking critical to a sustainable future.  Prior to coming to New Roots, Mr. McWain developed a BOCES New Visions program for Sustainable Community Development in Broome County.  Engaging students in projects such as developing the Climate Action Plan for the City of Binghamton, Mr. McWain also taught concurrent enrollment courses in public policy and environmental science through SUNY ESF and Syracuse University.  100% of his students were accepted into colleges and universities. Dryden Central School District, where he was a high school science teacher for five years, recognized Mr. McWain as Teacher of the Year. He also taught at Steele Middle School, a diverse middle school in the urban center of Muskegon, Michigan.  His contributions to this community included increasing standardized test scores in the science department by over 400%, winning a grant to teach urban youth about food systems through hydroponics.

TO ENROLL/FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Click here to download or submit an enrollment form online, or call or stop in to request a paper copy. To schedule a visit or meeting with the Senior Year Program Administrator, call 882-9220 or email srubensteingillis@newrootsschool.org.