February 12, 2007

News Release

For Immediate Release

Novato Charter School Garden Wins Award

The Novato Charter School garden has won the 2nd place Organic Silver Award and a $500 prize in the Rodale Institute Organic School Garden contest. The award recognizes the most outstanding organic school gardens. NCS was selected from among 53 entries.

The winning essay and poster entry can be seen at http://www.kidsregen.org/.

In July 2001 NCS began to develop a garden at the school’s new school grounds on a site that was, for 40 years, the parking lot of Hamilton Air Force Base. Beginning with very hard-packed rocky soils over sandstone and bedrock, not to mention the occasional wreckage of building deconstruction, the site presented a unique opportunity for transformation from its military background into a verdant, productive, and educational garden for children. Through this on-going transformation, the children have learned how nature can be nurtured by human intervention, and how human intervention can, in turn, be supported by nature.

About Novato Charter School Located at Hamilton Field, Novato Charter School blends Waldorf methods and best educational practices to support the healthy growth and development of the whole child. The school serves children from kindergarten through 8th grade.

For more information about Novato Charter School, call 883.4254 or visit their web site at www.novatocharterschool.org.

Contact: Rachael Bishop, Director, Novato Charter School at 415.883.4254