Twelve months and counting until Palouse Prairie opens an Expeditionary Learning (EL) charter school at the Now & Then Antiques location on Palouse River Drive in Moscow. With the help of many supporters, the Charter was approved June 26. If you want to catch up on the news, try http://WhyPalousePrairie.blogspot.com

Here’s a timeline. We are working on a conditional use permit (CUP) now. This fall we’ll be designing the school facility, and planning food and transportation. Children will apply to attend in winter. Hiring teachers will happen in the spring and remodeling and landscaping work will begin June 2009.

We are ready for volunteers! Getting a CUP involves designing a landscape buffer between the building and the street. Natural Abode donated "Greening School Grounds" and Amy Grey of Backyard Harvest pointed us to the Edible Schoolyard work by Alice Waters. Help with landscape design, or other CUP work is welcome.

We are also looking for a volunteer to write 300 words each month to keep friends of the school updated. Venues will include the Moscow-Pullman Daily News letters and the Co-op Community News. We also need a calendar-minder to think of, and maintain, the list all the events on the Moscow civic calendar (e.g., Ren Fair, Rendezvous in the Park) where Palouse Prairie should be involved. In addition to warm fuzzies and learning more about EL, volunteers will have a hand in deciding the 1001 things needed to open a school.

In September, there will be several events for parents to learn more about EL, including a workshop and a trip to see an EL school in Spokane Valley. Watch our website for the most up to date information.