On March 7, the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) welcomed Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and Melinda Person, President of New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), into classrooms at DeWitt Middle School and Lehman Alternative Community School (LACS). The tour was led by Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) President Kathryn Cernera and served as an opportunity to highlight the district’s commitment to academic excellence and innovative programs.
The tour began at DeWitt Middle School in Steve Williams’ Farm-to-Table: Foundations of Farming and Food Justice course. The district launched this course seven years ago and currently partners with the Colorado-based Chef Ann Foundation, which supports schools in embracing whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking so that kids are well-nourished and ready to learn. Next, Weingarten and Person participated in the School Democracy Committee at LACS, facilitated by ITA member Aurora Rojer, where they spoke with students about how to authentically support whole-school discussions. The group then returned to DeWitt to visit art teacher Callie Bryant in the school’s open art studio for therapeutic art models and concluded their day with a meet-and-greet with union members.
Accompanying Weingarten, Person, and Cernera on the tour were ICSD Superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown, ICSD Deputy Superintendent Lily Talcott, State Assemblymember Dr. Anna Kelles, State Senator Lea Webb, ICSD Employees Association officers Jennifer Doolittle (President) and Jamie Zervos (Second Vice President), and AFT and NYSUT staff members.
The day fostered collaboration and celebration of the shared commitment to educational excellence and served to highlight the way our educators incorporate hands-on, real-life skills like cooking, interpersonal relationship-building, and student self-care into the curriculum.
