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Join Us This December
at Common Ground:
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In the last year ...
Planting Seeds. More than 5,000 Pounds of Produce Grow in our Gardens | New Harvest Pavilion Opens | On-Site Farm Market Launches | Students Design 20 Lessons from the Land Exhibits | New Hoop House and Greenhouse Boost Farm Production | Architects, Students, Staff Plan New School Building | 10-Year Master Plan Launched | 500 Ride in Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride, 1000 Come to Farm Festival | 3,000 Kids Join in Every Child Outside Trips | New Recycling Centers Made from Reclaimed Wood
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Changing Lives. 8,266 Community Members Join in Programs | Students Make Fourth Straight Year of Test Score Gains | National Garden Club Recognizes Common Ground's Conservation Efforts | Environmental Educator Recognized as National Farm-Based Educator of the Year | Common Ground Graduation Rate, Math Skills, Reading Performance, and Writing Skills Surpass State Average | 900 Summer Campers Explore Common Ground | Green Jobs Corps Creates 100 Jobs and Generates $50,000 in Family Income
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| Growing Leaders. Students join in EPA Water Boot Camp, Nature Conservancy Internships, Climate Research in Dominican Republic | Common Ground Wins National Green Prize in Public Education | Middle School West Rock Rangers Produce Family Nature Guide | Green Jobs Corps Plants 100+ Trees,Grows Thousands of Pounds of Veggies, Educates Hundreds of Young People | Teacher Wins Toyota Tapestry Grant for Science Research | CG Chef on Chopped | Students Win Scholarships through New Haven Promise, Watershed Fund, New Haven Scholarship Fund | First Environmental Honors Program Graduates Receive Scholarships | Students Present at National Science Teacher's Association, State Energy Conference, Keep CT Cool Challenge
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Dear Friend of Common Ground,
Thank you -- so much -- for being part of the Common Ground community. As the year ends, we share a story and seek your support.
Keith Taylor, Common Ground class of 2010, arrived on campus last month to lead our Election Day programs for New Haven children. He and five other alumni enjoyed an impromptu reunion: hugging teachers and old friends, sharing stories from college. When 60 elementary kids arrived, Keith was in his element. He called every child by name. He learned their stories. He invited them to explore West Rock, as he had been doing for years.
Common Ground plants seeds. Keith first arrived at Common Ground as a summer camper a decade ago. He was venturing into the unknown; he'd never taken a hike, or paddled a canoe, or seen a chick emerge from an egg. At camp, he did all these things - and they left a lasting impression. "I remember hiking and playing games. I remember having fun, exploring, adventuring. I remember Rebecca and Lexy, who led the camp."
Rebecca - Common Ground's Community Programs Director - remembers Keith, too. "He was in a tough place. He'd been held back a grade, and was living with a foster family. Common Ground was a place where he could explore, where it was fine just to be a kid."
Since Keith first arrived, more than 25,000 city kids have joined in Common Ground's programs. Will you help us grow another generation of explorers and learners?
Common Ground changes lives. After years at camp, Keith arrived - reluctantly - at Common Ground High School. "It wasn't my first choice. I was used to having fun at camp, and school was real work. I didn't care about the environment. I didn't know where I was going."
Keith changed. "I was pushed to do my best work. I got to explore the forest and look at my city with new eyes. I was accepted. I didn't have to put on an act or be tough."
Keith also began to find his passions and pursue them. In our Environmental Ventures class, he started a business selling canned soup - and earned a share of the profits. Through a class project, he discovered that he loved working with elementary students - and that he could be a role model for boys struggling to find their way.
Keith wasn't the only one stepping up to real learning. Every class since his has made dramatic test score gains - including the largest of any Connecticut high school in 2010. Common Ground students now outperform the state average in math, reading, and writing. In every class since Keith's, 93% of students have earned college admission. Will you help more students reach high standards and succeed in college?
Common Ground Grows Leaders. Keith changed Common Ground, as well. Through Green Jobs Corps, he helped plant 100 street trees, grow thousands of pounds of healthy produce, and educate hundreds of campers. Senior year, he helped write a $100,000 grant that powered a student-led sustainability campaign.
Today, Keith is on track. He grew up in our camp; now he is one of its finest counselors. He is living on his own and eating healthy food. He is holding down a full-time job and studying early childhood education at Gateway Community College. Having grown up as a foster kid, he is committed to giving back to kids in that system. He will be an amazing social worker and educator. Then and now, we will greet him with open arms - and look to him to help us teach our community's children.
Keith is part of the next generation of community and environmental leaders. More than a third of our last graduating class plans to pursue an environmental field in college. Will you help them reach their full potential?
Today, we ask for your support. Plant a seed. Change a life. Grow a leader. Please make a gift through GiveGreater or our web site today.
We appreciate your kindness, and look forward to seeing you very soon. From all of us at Common Ground, thank you. |
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