Common Ground – Page 2 – High School, Urban Farm, and Environmental Education Center

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High School Home Page

Visit our High School Home Page to learn all about our unique school and view information for current or perspective students.

Saturday Open Farm Days

Open Farm Day invites visitors to enjoy campus every Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM. Open Farm Day is free and self guided, come explore the farm and forest!

Programs for children and families

Use the button below for links to all of our programs for children and families, including after school programs, school field trips, birthday parties, and more!

The Latest from Instagram

commongroundct

common ground is a high school,
urban farm and environmental
education center in a forest,
in the city. new haven, ct.

It's time for Friday Fauna & Flora with Aurora! 🎉 Featuring special guest contributors our NatureYear students, Diane (Farm Manager), Joel (Director of Community Impact and Engagement) and Audrey (Director of Development and Communications). Join us TOMORROW for our ❄️ ANNUAL WINTER FESTIVAL 10am-2pm ❄️ to enjoy our campus and shop for locally-made holiday gifts (including fauna and flora themed greeting cards from Aurora)! Message us YOUR photos 📷 to be featured next week! 💚

This week, our NatureYear students found oak leaves frozen in ice - so cool! 🥶🍂 The cold weather didn’t stop Diane from harvesting & washing beautiful fresh salad greens from CG’s solar-heated hoop house - you can get some for yourself at the Winter Festival tomorrow, plus winter squash, handmade wreaths featuring dried CG flowers, and so much more! 🥗 Joel spotted our Food Justice Education Coordinator Esther and CGHS student Brandyn making cordage out of corn husks! 🌽

Audrey spotted some off-site fauna & flora at @jonesfamilyfarms while picking up more donated pine boughs for tomorrow’s wreath making.🎄She saw cedar trees with the most abundant juniper berries! Join us by 1:15pm tomorrow to make your own wreath - just $20 each! Thank you again to Jones for the gorgeous greens! 🥰 Back at CG, Aurora admired aster seeds shining in the sun on the Old Oak trail. 🌞 See CG's fauna & flora (and Aurora) for yourself at the Winter Festival! 🎉

❄️ Get excited for truly unique, stunningly be

❄️ Get excited for truly unique, stunningly beautiful art! Give the gift of self care and community care to yourself, friends and family. When you get hungry, choose from an abundance of prepared foods. The Winter Festival is fun for the whole family!

❄️ THIS SATURDAY, join us at CG's 2023 Winter Festival for: holiday shopping with local artisans & craft vendors - all items are hand-crafted! Wreath making (for the 24th year) for only $20! Kids holiday activities, food & a bake sale! Campus is open for you to explore. All activities are indoors.

🛍️ Our vendors include:
@SwagarianArt *Photos 1 & 2*
SupaSamB.Art *Photos 3 & 4*
Fauna and Flora with Aurora *Photos 4 & 5*
@ArtMatenwa
Biscotti Salazar
Carmen Colon
Cat on a Loon Art & Illustrations
@Central_Ave_Art
EarthlyDelightsJewelry
Foxcraft
Josiah's Creations
Roots & Wildflowers
@Rochelle Also Bakes: www.instagram.com/rochelle_also_bakes
Stockboy Designs: www.stockboydesigns.com
@SuchSweetRelief
@The Little Sisters Farm
@To the Luna
Trees and Clay
@Visually Stoked Media
@Wild_Pyrography
CGHS SPEAK Club
CGHS Urban Farm
CGHS staff, students, and MORE!

❄️ There are still a few spots left for vendors - sign up today at bit.ly/cgwintervendor23! Email clia@nhep.com with ?s.

🌲MANY THANKS to the Jones Family Farms for thei

🌲MANY THANKS to the Jones Family Farms for their generous donation of pine boughs that will be used in Saturday’s Wreath Making activity at Winter Fest! 🌲 @JonesFamilyFarms are longtime supporters of Common Ground! Check out our team picking up the donated greens and the incredibly kind staff that helped! 🎉 Thank you all so much! 💚

🌲Be sure to join us at CG's 2023 Winter Festival ❄️ THIS SATURDAY Dec. 2nd from 10AM-2PM! Enjoy holiday shopping with local artisans & craft vendors - all items are hand-crafted! Wreath making (for the 24th year) for only $20! Kids holiday activities, food & a bake sale! Campus is open for you to explore. All activities are indoors.

🌲There are still a few spots left for vendors - sign up today at bit.ly/cgwintervendor23 (link in bio)! Email clia@nhep.com with ?s.

Thank you for cultivating community and connection

Thank you for cultivating community and connection for all ages at Common Ground! This #GivingTuesday, we are so grateful for all our community gives. Here are some of the wonderful things YOUR support made possible at CG in 2023:
💚 Our Seedlings Class for children ages 1-4 and their caregivers returned this year, for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, and doubled in size!
💚 100% of the class of 2023 successfully defended portfolios showing their growth as environmental leaders over their 4 years at Common Ground!
💚 Our Mobile Market *pictured in Photo 10* brought fresh produce to 55 stops, including senior living communities, libraries, community centers and a corner store.

Read more about the impact YOUR donations had this year at bit.ly/cggratitude23! *LINK IN BIO*

CGHS is fundraising for a student trip to Puerto R

CGHS is fundraising for a student trip to Puerto Rico! You can bring any lightly used clothes, linens and appliances that you no longer need to Common Ground’s campus at 358 Springside Ave. New Haven, CT. Drop off will be on Saturday, December 2nd from 9AM-1PM, during Common Ground’s Annual Winter Festival and on Saturday, December 9th from 9:30AM-12:30PM.

See the flyer above for all acceptable items!

It's time for Friday Fauna & Flora with Aurora! 🎉 Featuring special guest contributors Amanda (Communications Coordinator), Diane (Farm Manager), and Lauren (Grant Writer)! Join us TOMORROW for a FREE FAMILY NATURE PLAYDATE 12-2pm to see our fauna & flora for yourself - visit the animals, enjoy a campfire, and play in the forest! No RSVP needed. Message us YOUR photos 📷 to be featured next week! 💚

This week, Amanda saw @HoodFarmerRob of @HempMilkHoney teaching our CGHS students how to inoculate mushrooms - so cool! 🍄🤩 She also saw Lauren dropping off her compost. ♻️Thanks to over 135 supporters, we reached our goal for our compost fundraiser on @Patronicity! 🎉YOU made it possible for us to unlock $9,000 in matching funds from @SustainableCT so we can continue to provide and expand composting across New Haven in partnership with @PWComposting and @NHVFoodPolicy - THANK YOU! 🙏😍

Farmer Diane also saw our amazing CG cafeteria team, Chef T, Waleska & Antoine, transforming butternut squash grown right here into a beautiful entree for staff and students to enjoy at our annual fall feast on Tuesday! 😋 Diane also dried out loofahs grown on our farm. Did you know that these natural sponges come from a gourd that is edible when it is young? 🤯Lauren saw beautiful milkweed seeds this week. Aurora admired yellow maple leaves on the old oak trail, and lichen near the Farmhouse. 🍂

❄️ 'Tis the season to support local businesses

❄️ 'Tis the season to support local businesses! This year, we challenge you to buy 100% of your holiday gifts from your neighbors! 🛍️ Supporting local businesses helps the Elm City thrive. You'll make an impact for small businesses, keep our community full of creativity, and best of all, your purchases will be one of a kind!

❄️ CG's 2023 Winter Festival is the perfect opportunity to kick off a 100% local season of giving! Join us for: holiday shopping with local artisans & craft vendors - all items are hand-crafted! *SWIPE LEFT for a peak!* Wreath making (for the 24th year) for only $20! *Photo 1* Kids holiday activities, food & a bake sale! Campus is open for you to explore. All activities are indoors.

🛍️ Our vendors include:
@Wild_Pyrography *Photo 3 & 4*
Josiah's Creations *Photo 5*
@ArtMatenwa *Photo 6*
@CairoStationery
Carmen Colon
Cat on a Loon Art & Illustrations
@central_ave_art *Photo 6*
Fauna and Flora with Aurora
Foxcraft
Stockboy Designs *Photo 6*
Trees and Clay
@VisuallyStokedMedia
@TheLittleSistersFarm *Photo 7 & 8*
Roots & Wildflowers
@SuchSweetRelief *Photo 9*
@tothelunashop *Photo 9*
@rochelle_also_bakes *Photo 10*
CGHS SPEAK Club *Photo 10*
CGHS Urban Farm *Photo 10*

Do you make art, crafts, or food? There are still a few spots left for vendors - sign up today at bit.ly/cgwintervendor23 (link in bio)! Email clia@nhep.com with ?s.

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Upcoming events

Common Ground High School Open House

December 12 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Common Ground High School Open House

Jan 13, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Common Ground High School Open House

Feb 13, 2024 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Common Ground High School Open House

Feb 24, 2024 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

See Full Calendar »

Recent Blog Posts

Common Ground Board of Directors Meeting Minutes: Sept 18, 2023

This Meeting will be held by Zoom September 18th, 2023 5:30 pm Zoom Link Present: Alexis Smith, Bob Parker, Monica Maccera Filppu, Liz Cox, Brian Kelahan, Jeff Carter, Kyeen Andersson. Shelly Hicks, Gioia Connell,

Common Ground Board of Directors Meeting Minutes: Special Meeting Oct. 2, 2023

This Meeting will be held by Google Meet October 2nd, 2023 5:30 pm Present: Alexis Smith, Shelly Hicks, Lizanne Cox, Bob parker, Monica Maccera Filppu, Jennifer Burke, Carly Osbourne, Gioia Connell, Jeff Carter, Monique

Common Ground Board Special Meeting Agenda for Oct. 2, 2023

This Meeting will be held by Google Meet October 2nd, 2023 5:30 pm Google Meet Welcome Public Comment (5:30) (two minutes per person for a total time limit of 30 minutes, or by email; see

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