Across the Ithaca City School District, educators are creating learning experiences that connect classroom lessons to real life. At Enfield Elementary, students recently explored weather patterns during a hands-on unit with educator Farmer Melissa and storm chaser Chimera Comstock.

Students learned to read thermometers, understand “feels-like” temperatures, and analyze how weather impacts daily decisions—including whether recess is held indoors or outdoors. To extend their learning, students collaborated to create a weather-focused morning announcement script. Students in grades 3–5 now take turns sharing daily weather updates with the school community, building confidence, communication skills, and real-world connections to their learning.

Experiences like this reflect ICSD’s commitment to authentic, student-centered learning that elevates student voice and makes learning meaningful.

1 day ago, ICSD Communications
The back of two students heads observing the temperature outside on thermometer.
Farmer Melissa and an elementary aged student sit outside looking at notebook and observing their surroundings.
Enfield student outside in the orchard looking up at the sky.
Three students gathered around a table writing in their journals.
Students seen through a classroom window out in the orchard at Enfield Elementary as part of their weather project unit.
Farmer Melissa leading a unit about weather inside a classroom at Enfield Elementary.
Farmer Melissa and two Enfield Elementary students in the main office reviewing the weather announcement.
Enfield elementary student in the main office reading the weather during the morning announcements.
An image of the script on the desk next to the phone. A market sits on top.
During the first half of January, ICSD elementary students experienced West African music and dance through a visit from the Mbangba Cultural Troupe. Artists Nani Agbeli, Logan Amaral, and Dr. Baruch Whitehead visited all eight elementary schools, leading hands-on drumming and dance workshops for upper elementary students and a schoolwide performance.

Students learned about West African culture, identified Ghana on a map, explored hand drums, and performed the Kpanlogo rhythm and dance. The tour was made possible through the collaboration of ICSD music educators and offered a joyful, engaging cultural experience for students and staff.
7 days ago, ICSD Communications
Elementary students smile and move together while learning West African dance in a school gymnasium with red padded walls.
Elementary students sit in a semicircle playing West African drums as an instructor leads the group during a cultural music workshop in the gym.
A visiting artist demonstrates West African dance movements while elementary students follow along in a gymnasium.
A diverse group of elementary-age children dance together in a school gymnasium with a wooden floor and red padded walls. The kids are mid-movement, smiling and stepping in rhythm, wearing casual winter clothes like hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers.
A large group of children sit on the floor of a school gymnasium facing two performers standing at the front. The gym has red padded walls and colorful murals of people and books. Teachers and adults stand along the walls while the children watch attentively, suggesting a school assembly or cultural performance.
Pre-K Applications Now Open for 2026-27 School Year!

The ICSD Early Childhood Program is now accepting applications for the 2026–27 school year.

Caregivers must complete the pre-K application by April 1. If spaces remain, applications received after April 1 will be considered. Placement in the Universal Pre-K (UPK) program is determined annually by a random lottery, which will be held during the second week of April.

All children who will be four years old on or before December 1, 2026, and who live within the ICSD boundaries are eligible to apply for pre-K.

For more information, please visit our website: ithacacityschools.org/prek
15 days ago, ICSD Communications
A hallway display shows five smiling elementary-aged children standing in front of a tiled wall, each with their face placed on a life-size paper cutout body decorated with colorful tissue paper, buttons, and craft materials. The figures pose with raised arms and playful stances, creating a sense of movement. Above them hangs a large, handmade rainbow collage made from layered paper, leaves, and textured materials in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
Ithaca High School has been named to the 2025 AP School Honor Roll, earning Gold-level recognition from the College Board.

This honor recognizes schools that expand access to Advanced Placement courses while helping students succeed. For the Class of 2025:

📚 69% took at least one AP exam
🎓 66% scored a 3 or higher
✏️ 27% took five or more AP exams

Congratulations to our students, educators, and families for continuing to set a standard of academic excellence and equity.

🔗 Read the full press release: ithacacityschools.org/o/icsd/page/press-releases
23 days ago, ICSD Communications
IHS graduates wearing red caps and gowns sit together at a commencement ceremony, with decorated mortarboards visible and a blurred American flag and audience in the background.
We’re proud to share that the Ithaca City School District has been recognized with the 2025 cashVest 90+ Award for excellence in financial stewardship, liquidity management, and responsible use of public resources. This honor reflects our commitment to transparency, accountability, and investing every public dollar wisely for our students.

🔗 Read the full press release: ithacacityschools.org/o/icsd/page/press-releases
24 days ago, ICSD Communications
Aerial view of a IHS athletic complex with a football field and red running track at center, bleachers on both sides, adjacent soccer fields and a baseball diamond, surrounded by trees and hills, with a large lake visible in the background.
Students at BJM Elementary had the opportunity to meet members of the Ithaca Fire Department and learn important lessons about fire prevention and safety.

Thank you to the Ithaca Fire Department for taking the time to engage our students and for their continued partnership in supporting safety education in our community.
about 2 months ago, ICSD Communications
A firefighter demonstrates putting on full protective gear, including an air tank, on a school auditorium stage while children watch from the floor and other firefighters stand nearby.
Children and adults sit on the floor of a school auditorium facing firefighters, who are standing near a large screen displaying a timer and the question, “How fast can a firefighter change into their gear?”
A fire truck is parked in a snowy schoolyard outside a brick school building while children and adults in winter coats stand nearby, watching and gathering around the truck.
In a school auditorium, firefighters demonstrate protective gear on stage while young children sit on the floor watching. A screen displays a timer for how fast a firefighter can change into gear, with international flags hanging behind the stage.
November was full of fantastic performances! Closing out our posts on fall theater season is Ithaca High School's production of Stage Fright.

Photos from the performance are now available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dV1JAEz611USX5ov7

Congratulations to the cast and crew on a wonderful production, and thank you to everyone who supported this work.
about 2 months ago, ICSD Communications
Three students stand on a theater stage under warm lighting. One student in a floral dress smiles while holding up a Ouija board toward another student in a yellow dress, while a third student in a striped shirt looks on with a concerned expression against a dark stage background.
A stage performance scene shows a young woman in a floral dress leaning over a desk, angrily shouting into a yellow rotary telephone. Behind her stands a tall, ominous figure in a tattered costume with a grotesque mask, looming closely. The background is dark, with stage lighting focused on the performers and a desk with props in the foreground.
Three performers stand onstage under theatrical lighting. At center, a young woman in a mustard-yellow dress speaks confidently with her hands slightly out, while two others listen—one in a floral dress with arms crossed and another in a light blue button-down shirt. A desk and yellow telephone sit behind them against a dark stage backdrop.
Four performers are arranged onstage in front of an open green doorway. One performer holds a sign reading “THE DOWEDS OF DRESDEN.” Others react with expressive body language, including a masked character in a ragged costume and two performers in dresses. Audience silhouettes are visible at the bottom, emphasizing the live theater setting.
A student stands on a stage reading aloud from a black book, focused and mid-speech. Behind them, two other students in dresses are slightly out of focus, suggesting an ongoing scene in a theatrical performance under stage lighting.
Photos from the LACS production of Much Ado About Nothing, performed in November, are now available.

View the full gallery here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pV3bpw1ZhUVR82HT7

Congratulations to the cast and crew on an outstanding production, and thank you to all who supported this work.
about 2 months ago, ICSD Communications
A group of student performers on stage, reaching their arms outward in unison while wearing colorful period-style costumes during a theatrical production.
A student in a red patterned jacket, wearing glasses and a stage microphone, stands under a spotlight delivering a theatrical line while other performers in costume stand blurred in the background.
Two young actors on stage dressed in Renaissance-style costumes, including patterned vests and floppy hats with feathers. They stand beside potted trees, looking off to the left as if reacting to something happening offstage.
A group of young actors in colorful period costumes gathers around another performer lying on the stage in a white gown, portraying a dramatic or emotional moment. Several students kneel or lean in, one holding red flowers, as they react with concern.
A person standing in a dimly lit auditorium, warmly illuminated by stage light, clapping while watching a performance. Other audience members sit in the shadows around them.
Enfield Elementary students spent a perfect fall day harvesting apples and pressing fresh cider right on the school’s orchard. Throughout the year, fifth-graders care for the apple trees as part of a hands-on science and sustainability curriculum—and this joyful event is the finale.

Students explored the full process, from picking apples to grinding and pressing them, discovering how every part of the apple can be put to good use.

🍎 Read more about this incredible learning experience: ithacacityschools.org/article/2552980
3 months ago, ICSD Communications
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event
Enfield apple cider press event

An anonymous donor has generously contributed $25,000 to the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG) to fund teacher grants that further Arts for All.

Inspired by the recent donations establishing the Steve Brookhouse Technical Theater Fund, the donor shared that they “wanted to ensure the Fine and Performing Arts teachers are able to continue to do their wonderful work and allow funds so that they can develop and continue special programs, as well as have the opportunity to get the training and professional development they want and need.”

This gift will help FABG continue its mission to enhance and celebrate arts education throughout the Ithaca City School District.

About FABG
The Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), an affiliate of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), partners with the Ithaca City School District to support and celebrate the arts for all students. FABG advocates for district arts programs and staff while expanding student access and participation in the arts.

To volunteer or get involved, contact Alice Wu and Julie Hughes at president@fabgithaca.org.

3 months ago, ICSD Communications
The Prom stage production
Winter Sports Registration is Open! 🏒🏀

JV and Varsity registration is now open for all students in grades 9–12 — be sure to register on FamilyID (http://ithacacityschools.org/.../icsd-sports-registration) by November 8. Tryouts begin Monday, November 17.

Modified sports (grades 7–8) registration opens Saturday, November 1.

Winter sports include:

- Boys and Girls Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Boys and Girls Ice Hockey
- Boys Swim and Dive
- Wrestling
- Boys and Girls Indoor Track & Field
- Unified Bowling

Questions? Contact the ICSD Athletic Department at icsdathletics@icsd.k12.ny.us or (607) 274-2155.
4 months ago, ICSD Communications
A basketball player wearing a maroon and gold uniform with the number 14 jumps toward the hoop for a layup during a game in a gymnasium. Other players and coaches are visible in the background near the benches.
🌍 Now accepting applications!

The Ithaca City School District is proud to award the NYS Seal of Biliteracy for the eighth year to eligible seniors. The program continues to grow each year — with 11 more recipients and twice as many languages represented in 2025!

📅 Application deadline: November 1
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Information Night: Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. in Lower York

Learn more and apply today ➡️ https://www.ithacacityschools.org/o/icsd/page/nys-seal-of-biliteracy
4 months ago, ICSD Communications
A smiling student stands outdoors holding a certificate and wearing a yellow honor cord around their neck. Two adults stand behind them, also smiling, during what appears to be an award or recognition ceremony.
South Hill Elementary recently hosted its annual STEAM Night, an engaging evening highlighting science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.

Thank you to the community partners and volunteers whose collaboration and support helped make this event a success. 💡✨
4 months ago, ICSD Communications
Children gather around an outdoor science table labeled “BRAINS,” where volunteers in white lab coats lead hands-on activities. The table displays colorful brain diagrams and jars with science materials, with a school building in the background.
Students explore a science exhibit inside a brightly decorated bus filled with interactive displays and equipment, illuminated by sunlight streaming through the windows.
Three young children play outdoors near a playground. Two girls are smiling and drumming together on a hand drum while a boy stands nearby. Blue and yellow climbing equipment is visible in the background.
Children and adults explore science exhibits outside the purple Physics Bus. Tables covered with purple cloth display colorful hands-on experiments and recycled materials. A boy speaks into a retro phone while others look on.
Two boys interact with a bright, neon-colored science display made of plastic bottles and tubes at an outdoor exhibit. Other children and adults engage with nearby tables and materials from the Physics Bus.
Children and adults gather around a purple “Physics Bus” parked on a playground. Tables are set up with hands-on science activities, and the scene is bright and sunny with fall foliage in the background.
A group of children sit and stand in a semicircle outdoors, playing drums of various sizes with an instructor. The drumming circle takes place on a fenced playground area surrounded by trees with autumn leaves.A group of children sit and stand in a semicircle outdoors, playing drums of various sizes with an instructor. The drumming circle takes place on a fenced playground area surrounded by trees with autumn leaves.
Families and children explore the purple “Physics Bus” and nearby activity tables on a sunny afternoon. The scene is viewed from a distance, with picnic tables and trees with colorful fall leaves in the foreground.
ICSD/ITA Contract Negotiations to Resume

After a pause over the summer break, negotiations between the Ithaca Teachers Association (ITA) and the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) will resume this evening, Thursday, October 9, from 4–8 p.m.

💻 Join the negotiations remotely via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84920319839

▶️ Watch recordings of each session on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-l3SqgD0byJiZi6Lq05A9FjWlitC2uY5

The ICSD and ITA encourage everyone to stay engaged as we work toward an agreement that supports our educators, students, and community.

Schedule of Upcoming Negotiations:

Thursday, October 9 | 4–8 p.m.

Thursday, October 16 | 4–8 p.m.

Thursday, October 30 | 4–8 p.m.

Thursday, November 6 | 4–8 p.m.

Thursday, November 20 | 4–8 p.m.

Please note: ICSD employees may attend in person, but these meetings are not open to the general public.
4 months ago, ICSD Communications
Students sitting in class
Our early childhood classrooms are filling quickly, but we still have four openings in Enfield’s Pre-K program for the 2025–26 school year. Our classrooms celebrate learning through play, a culture of belonging, and passionate, strength-based educators.

📍Apply today: ithacacityschools.org/prek

✨ No cost and open to all 4-year-olds—Enfield does not have to be your home school to enroll.
5 months ago, ICSD Communications
A picture of student artwork that reads "I am welcome."
Welcome back, ICSD! 📚🌟

It’s been a great first week as we settle back into classrooms, reconnect with friends, and dive into new learning. We’re excited for all the opportunities and accomplishments this school year will bring!
5 months ago, ICSD Communications
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
First week of school in the ICSD!
This morning, the Class of 2026 gathered at Moresco Stadium for Senior Sunrise ☀️🎓

Students kicked off their final year together with music, snacks, games, and a sunrise to mark the start of senior year. A huge thank you to the Senior Class Officers for planning such a special event!
5 months ago, ICSD Communications
2025 Senior Sunrise
2025 Senior Sunrise
2025 Senior Sunrise
2025 Senior Sunrise
2025 Senior Sunrise
2025 Senior Sunrise
2025 Senior Sunrise
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors! We’re excited for the year ahead—Go Little Red!
6 months ago, ICSD Communications
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
Walk and Talk with the new athletic directors on the turf at IHS
We’re counting down the days until our students are back! 🎉

Throughout August, our schools are connecting with families to kick off the year strong. Check your school’s page on our website to find upcoming playground nights and welcome-back celebrations!

Don’t miss a moment—download the ICSD app to get event reminders and customize your notifications.
6 months ago, ICSD Communications
CHES Playground
🎓 The full photo album from the LACS Graduation Ceremony is here! Download and save your favorite moments, and relive the joy of the day.

🎉 Congratulations to the Class of 2025—no matter where life takes you, you’ll always have a home in our ICSD family.

📸 LACS ceremony: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4tNqaSEQgLRMTxhB7
6 months ago, ICSD Communications
2025 LACS Graduation Ceremony
2025 LACS Graduation Ceremony
2025 LACS Graduation Ceremony
2025 LACS Graduation Ceremony
2025 LACS Graduation Ceremony
2025 LACS Graduation Ceremony