FirstLine Schools: ARTHUR ASHE CHARTER SCHOOL GARDEN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR, a Louisiana Delta Service Corps position Creating and inspiring great open admissions public schools in New Orleans About FirstLine Schools In 1998, FirstLine Schools started the first charter school in New Orleans, which became the highest performing open admission middle school in the city. FirstLine now operates four K-­‐8th grade schools and a high school. Our mission is to create and inspire great open admissions public schools in New Orleans. We do this by: ● Ensuring college and career readiness for all students, as demonstrated by achievement, aspiration, love of learning, and confidence ● Providing a rich variety of education experiences to nurture our students’ character, health, and active citizenship ● Developing the skillfulness of our team members ● Building a sustainable organization that facilitates our long-­‐term success Our faculty is a diverse and talented group dedicated to our students’ success and to their own growth as teachers. Our schools are led by leaders who hold themselves accountable for student achievement and teacher development. About ESYNOLA Founded in 2006, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA) changes the way children eat, learn, and live at five FirstLine public charter schools in New Orleans. Our goal is to improve the long-­‐term well being of our students, families, and school community, by integrating hands-­‐on organic gardening and seasonal cooking into the school curriculum, culture, and cafeteria programs. We believe that: • Food education should be taught in conjunction with core academics • Children learn by doing • Health and wellness contribute to the success of the whole child • Beauty is the language of caring • Local farms and sustainable farming practices are vital • School food reform is an integral part of the education we offer our students • Families and communities are integral to our success Position Summary: The Arthur Ashe Charter School garden program development coordinator will build capacity for ESYNOLA’s special events and educational visuals coordination. ESYNOLA designs special events for scholars (developmentally appropriate grade level “Edible Experiences” and collaborations with the students’ core academic teachers), for families (bringing home important nutrition lessons from ESYNOLA’s garden and kitchen classes), and for the greater community (in Open Garden Days and other seasonal food celebrations). The coordinator will work with our volunteer special events and communications manager and lead garden educator on special events planning documents. They will keep a record of collaborative events and create educational visuals that spread programming messaging and educational concepts throughout the school building. The coordinator will create an electronic archive of educational visuals that allows them to be searchable and user friendly. The coordinator will spend one third of his/her time assisting in garden classes at Arthur Ashe Charter School, which are designed to teach K-­‐8 students life science lessons through hands-­‐on activities in the outdoor classroom and school garden. The coordinator will help the garden education team prepare educational materials, manage students in classes, and lead small student groups in garden lessons. Through observation and direct experience in garden classes, the coordinator will develop an understanding of the innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum developed at ESYNOLA. Position Responsibilities: Special Project • Work with Ashe garden and kitchen teams to plan and execute special events for scholars, families, and the community • Maintain bulletin boards about garden-­‐related topics, and create archive of bulletin board materials • Create Cafeteria Food Education Table Toppers about seasonal produce highlights from the garden • Create a template for flyers to advertise events to families and the community, and sample flyers for annual events • Create reusable banners and signs to promote annual ESYNOLA events in the school • Create archival systems for all resources listed above (i.e. bulletin board components, table toppers, family event communications, special events signs and banners) that enable teachers to easily access these resources in future school years Garden & Horticultural • Maintain garden through daily and weekly tasks • Remain engaged, knowledgeable, and “up to date” about the garden as it transitions through seasonal changes • Assist in garden maintenance, including propagation, soil fertility, composting, crop rotation, fertilizing, pruning, irrigation and pest and disease management • Harvest produce from the schoolyard garden for the Family Supported Agriculture Program • Act as informal “ambassador” to the garden for visitors, volunteers, and school staff; includes answering questions, and occasionally leading volunteer groups Communication, Professional Development, & Outreach • Attend regular garden team meetings to review, prepare for, reflect, and contribute to garden class and special event planning • Participate in all ESYNOLA staff meetings • Maintain consistent and constructive communication/feedback with garden team while working closely with garden teachers to provide/receive internal feedback • Update chalkboards and behavior chart in preparation for all classes • Participate in all ESYNOLA professional development sessions • Participate in other school-­‐based trainings provided by FirstLine staff • Participate in collaborative goal setting process with lead garden educator to create individual benchmarks Teaching & Learning • Lead a small group during garden classes, delivering content that is academic, sensory, healthful, and experiential in nature • Development of teaching, classroom management and curriculum writing skills to work toward leading classes • Guide students to make connections between the garden and the kitchen, understand local, seasonal, and sustainable culinary practices, and make healthful food choices at home and at school • Prepare for lessons; includes reading and reflecting on lesson plans provided by the garden educator • Assist in the preparation and clean up of classes Desired Academic & Experience: • Bachelor’s degree or some college experience • Experience working with children, especially in a public/charter school setting • Demonstrated interest in education, nutrition, food studies, environmental science or related field Desired Qualities & Characteristics: •
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Ability to work with frequent interruption and to simultaneously supervise a variety of tasks Ability to create systems that organize and streamline existing processes Ability to communicate and collaborate with a wide variety of people Ability to problem solve complex issues Willingness to work occasional weekends/special events when needed Achievement orientation with a focus on goals and results Initiative and drive for continuous improvement Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Proficient with information technology Ability to stand, reach, and bend. Mobility of arms to reach, dexterity of hands to grasp and manipulate large and small objects Ability to stand for long periods Ability to lift, push and/or pull objects, which may be approximately 50 pounds Willingness to smell, taste and feel garden produce, to help determine quality of raw food Willingness to work outdoors when necessary under various weather conditions Strong enthusiasm for experiential, sensory, and food education (required) Ability to find joy in all of the skills listed above Desired Qualities & Characteristics: ● Willingness to smell, taste and feel garden produce, to help determine quality of raw food ● Willingness to work outdoors when necessary under various weather conditions ● Strong enthusiasm for experiential, sensory, and food education (required) ● Ability to find joy in all of the skills listed above ● Believe in every student’s ability to achieve in a rigorous college or career prep curriculum ● Achieve results based on agreed-­‐upon expectations FIRSTLINE SCHOOLS – EDUCATION FOR LIFE P.O. Box 791729, New Orleans, LA 70179-­‐1729| (504) 267-­‐9038 | www.firstlineschools.org
Take personal responsibility ● Highly detail-­‐oriented ● Collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders ● Share a commitment to creating great schools in New Orleans ● Strong written and verbal communication skills ● Model the FirstLine values of Service, Learning, Collaboration and Results Physical Requirements: ● Ability to stand, reach, and bend. Mobility of arms to reach, dexterity of hands to grasp and manipulate large and small objects ● While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to sit, walk, stand, talk, and hear. ● Ability to stand for long periods ● Ability to lift, push and/or pull objects, which may be approximately 50 pounds GARDEN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR reports to: Lead Garden Educator COMPENSATION: This position is full-­‐time, with a $13,000/year salary and $5,500 education award upon the completion of the year. ●