Summary: Terra Nova School (LEA 4229). We are a team-powered school with a flat management governance structure. We have committees that meet and discuss the Operations to the Curriculum of our school. We also meet as a whole school/district staff weekly to make decisions for what’s best for kids. In addition, as a public charter school, we have a teacher majority board (5 members 3 are teachers, 1 is a parent and 1 is a community member, who is also a science teacher at a neighboring district). 

Description of the Goals and Actions: Our Terra Nova School grounds has a variety of outdoor spaces including an open field, forest (~10 ac) and prairie, for habitat restoration, conservation, classroom/learning and for fun! The goals are to improve and maintain the ecological health of our native habitats, utilize these spaces for environmental education and enhance outdoor learning opportunities. These initiatives and goals are student-driven and directly correlate with our school mission of “Out of the Classroom, Into the World.” 

Team and Support: 

• Jess Paulson - Communications Committee Chair & Science Advisor

• Les Harrison - Curriculum Committee Chair, School Board Member & Language Arts Advisor

• Craig Wignes - Operations Committee Chair & Social Studies Advisor 

Relevant Best Practices: 

• 0.1 -0.6 - We are hoping to develop a Green Team out of this initial project using our EnviroThon Team and Conservation Crew students. We will be making a green resolution go coincide with our stewardship plan. This is all done with committees that are comprised of students, staff, parents, community members and stakeholders. 

• 1.7 - We will be providing an outdoor learning space for our students and it can be accessed by stakeholders and our community. 

• 2.5 - We will be using this space for walking outside for physical education. We also have 10+ acres of woods that has a trail system that is another place for students to hike and be physically active. 

• 3.1 - These initiatives are directly connected to environmental education and our local requirements of environmental sciences for both middle and high school ages. 

• 3.2 - We encourage and create opportunities for outdoor education daily and this will also help us to have spaces for learning. 

• 3.5 - This is a Terra Nova community project as this is our new location we just moved to in August. We are also going to collaborate with stakeholders in our community to make our projects come to fruition. 

• 3.6 - Our property restoration projects include a lot of partnerships with local businesses like PenRad who is our neighbor), local government (Wright County Parks and Recreation - whom we have done other restoration projects with in the past) and state government partners such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Forestry Division. 

Equity and Diversity Practices: These areas are accessible to all students at Terra Nova. In the future, we are hoping to have it accessible to our community once trails are set and the restoration processes have been established. 

Results: We are hoping to use this as a monitoring site for pollinators, native species and as general outdoor learning spaces. 

Education Connections: This ties into our project-based learning model which incorporates cross-curricular subject matter and environmental education. 

Contact: Jess Paulson - Communications Committee Chair & Science Advisor