District Administration - April 2007 - (Page 16)

Update Fruit Tree Tour Rolls Through California I nner-city students throughout California are learning about sustainable ecology and turning their barren schoolyards into abundant orchards of apples, pears, cherries, plums and more, through the Common Vision (www.commonvision.org) fourth annual Fruit Tree Tour, a 20city, 70-day tour of urban schools from San Diego to Sacramento. On February 14, covered in forest murals and carrying 1,000 fruit tree plants and 27 volunteers, the world’s largest veggie-oil caravan made its ﬁ rst stop at Emerson Elementary School in Riverside, Calif., just one of the more than thirty schools it plans to visit. Dedicated to developing working relationships with teachers and administrators to integrate sustainability into schools’ curricula and landscapes, Common Vision volunteers teach elementary, middle and high school students through daylong programs that include everything from tree planting exercises and ecology learning workshops to West African agricultural drumming and “eco hip-hop” sessions. Their efforts will create living classrooms with the potential to produce enough fruit for the school cafeterias and the surrounding community. The caravan of volunteer artists, educators and tree planters travels the length of California each year to support local teachers and grassroots groups in their day-to-day work to leave behind a better world, says Michael Flynn, director of education for Common Vision. Each year the tour plants new fruit trees at ﬁ rst-time schools and starts new initiatives at schools with existing orchards, such as school nurseries for communities and grafting programs. BLOSSOMING FUTURE Volunteers and students plant a nectarine tree at Normandie Elementary School in South Central Los Angeles. The kids are all deeply involved in the lessons and planting, adds Flynn, and while the whole program might start in the schoolyard, eventually the entire local community becomes enriched by the process, and there is often a deep feeling of urban reconnect. “The tree planting is a reminder of the profound power of hands-on learning,” says Ley Yeager, principal of Vista Del Valle Elementary School in Claremont. “The legacy of 20 planted trees will live with us throughout our campus for many years to come … Our students are already asking, ‘Who else could we help feed?’” he remarks. In addition to the planting and other hands-on aspects of the tour, the program also features teach-ins on the environmental challenges the planet is currently facing, such as global warming and harmful carbon dioxide emissions. The tree-planting program hopes to inspire everyone involved to realize their responsibility to look ahead at least seven generations when taking actions that affect the local environment, says Flynn. The tour, which ends on Earth Day on April 22, can be followed online at the Common Vision Web site, www.commonvision.org, and on YouTube. AASA Superintendent of the Year Announced Krista Parent, superintendent of the South Lane School District in Cottage Grove, Ore., was named the 2007 National Superintendent of the Year at the March AASA conference. Parent was featured in DA’s March Update as a Superintendent of the Year ﬁnalist, and the May issue will include an extended proﬁle on Parent and her service to the district. 16 April 2007 District Administration http://www.commonvision.org http://www.commonvision.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2007

Editor's Letter
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
“See You in Court!"
Lost in Translation
Bonding Agents
Certifying AP Courses
Hunting for Talent - Part 2
Buying Power
The Musty Bookshelf
New Products
Leadership
Speaking Out
The Online Edge
Problem/Solution
Calendar of Events
Overheard On The Pulse

District Administration - April 2007