Professional Development Retreat at New Lebanon School
This e-newsletter from the Food Shed Network highlights a professional development day at New Lebanon School funded through a Reaching Out Grant from Greenwich Alliance.
“In mid-August, New Lebanon School’s Farm to School Team hosted its first on-site professional development retreat for teachers and administrators, with more than twelve educators voluntarily attending to expand their knowledge.
Led by Dr. Daniel Russo (Principal of New Lebanon School) and facilitated by Jen Cirillo (Director of Professional Learning at Shelburne Farms) and Jen Rothman (Executive Director at Yellow Farmhouse), the two-day retreat explored the role of food systems education and highlighted how Farm to School initiatives drive systemic change.
Key focus areas included:
- Farm to School classroom curriculum planning
- Featured vegetables for the 2026–2027 Harvest of the Month
- Strategies to deepen and expand initiatives in year two
- Defining student goals around knowledge, empathy, and action to foster healthy, equitable food systems
A retreat highlight was gathering in the garden to share a seasonal meal with food from Kalenauskas Farm & Market and Smith’s Acres.
New Lebanon School extends a heartfelt thank you to the Greenwich Alliance for Education for making this retreat possible through its Reaching Out Grant.”