Winter is here – and our school is under scaffolding – BUT, thanks to Macy’s and our favorite Santa’s Helpers, we were blessed to turn our scaffolding into an amazing Winter Wonderland that has become the Pride of CS 55 and a source of inspiration for all of Claremont Village. On the coldest day of the year, Macy’s NYC staff, along with Assemblyman Michael Blake came to spend the day and help decorate! We had so much fun we made the news!
Just last week we were thrilled to host our sister city program, Green St. Louis Machine and Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club. Traveling all the way from Missouri – the “Show Me State” – we showed them a GREEN BRONX MACHINE GOOD TIME and picked our own Tower Garden Salad! With Chef Bill Yosses and Chef Roberto working our Green Bronx Machine Mobile Classroom Kitchen, we all cooked up a storm and celebrated the National Health, Wellness and Learning Center. When our chefs cook, it is a VIP Affair and we were honored to have both Linda Curtis-Bey and Nancy Woods from the NYC Department of Education Chancellor’s Office visit and help cook, highlighting our Community School STEM / STEAM model! Afterwards, we took a VIP Tour of Yankee Stadium. Together, we are growing communities and camaraderie across the nation.
We are proud to be rolling out Green Bronx Machine Mobile Classroom Kitchen units across the country and Canada with our colleagues at Port Equip. This lightweight, highly affordable, USDA, NFS, UL approved, 100% portable, plug and play, commercial kitchen is transforming culinary arts and access in schools and programs everywhere – with state of the art access and technology – now available with charge kits and trickle battery. Who knew cooking in school could be so easy, so affordable and so accessible.
I am thrilled to report that co-author Suzie Boss and I have completed the manuscript for our book: The Power Of A Plant, to be released by Rodale this May, which highlights my personal odyssey as a teacher as well as the amazing Green Bronx Machine story. I’m honored to be donating proceeds to support Green Bronx Machine and grow more healthy children and thriving schools around the world. You can pre-order now.
And if that’s not enough, we are putting the finishing touches on our Green Bronx Machine Classroom Curriculum as we speak. This curriculum will be Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, P21 and International Baccalaureate aligned across every single subject and content area – putting the art and science of growing healthy children and healthy, high performing schools at everyone’s finger-tips for educators around the world.
