2005 Alumni helping at the Blue Bell Cafe and Auction - May 2006

A few alumni with founding teacher, Marga vanTuijl - winter 2009

Where are they now?

Sula Willson - Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR.

Alex Ulmer - Senior at Liberty Bell High School, Eastern Washington University fall 2010

Hank Schuler - Home school graduate, Elite FIS alpine skier, humanitarian worker in Nepal, Montana State University fall 2010

Sophie Willson - Junior honor roll student at Roosevelt High School, Seattle

Marga VanTuijl - Commercial fisherwoman extraordinaire!

Waco Budiselich - Gonzaga University

 

Founding teacher, Marga, with alum Casey Kutz....now skiing for Montana State University, Bozeman, MT.

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What happens to MVCS students after graduation?

 

Upon leaving MVCS, most students enroll as 7th graders at Liberty Bell Junior/Senior High School and some choose home schooling.  Students excell in their studies, are on the honor roll and active in extra-curricular activities; sports, music, drama, travel, volunteerism, and community service.

"MVCS students stand out in the halls of Liberty Bell.  They are confident, courteous, motivated learners!"  LBHS teacher

98% of alumni are on the honor roll at Liberty Bell Junior/Senior High School and many of them graduate with honors and continue onto college or actively pursue creative, independent studies.

Lewis & Clark College

Montana State University

Portland University

Study abroad - Spain

Study abroad - France

St. Martin's College

Heritage College

Western Washington University

Boston College

Gonzaga College

Academy of Arts

Semester Abroad - Guatemala

American University, Paris

Humanitarian work - Nepal

Running Start - Wenatchee Valley College

University of Edinburgh

Eastern Washington University

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A BRIEF HISTORY

Deb Jones Schuler, Founder

 

 

The Community School was and continues to be a complete leap of faith!  It is also about creating a community in which children are given the opportunities to become their true selves as well as responsible, caring members of a greater good.

 

The CS was founded on the belief that the education process can be something different than the status quo, if we truly want it to be. Education means many things to many people.  Good, holistic education means, to me, creating an environment of emotional safety and support in which children and adults come together to learn from and teach to each other.  I believe that to truly educate anyone we must first recognize what is valued and valuable.  We must provide experiences and opportunities that build on a foundation of trust and compassion.  We must recognize the value of our community and create teaching opportunities that provide our children with a real sense of place in, not only the school community, but the larger community as well.  Most importantly, we must believe in the innate abilities of our children to gain from any experience what they most need, trusting in ourselves that there is more to life’s lessons than reading, writing and arithmetic.  We must trust that without emotional and physical safety true learning cannot take place.

 

In the fall of 1998, after deciding that my voice alone would not determine the change I desired at the public school I challenged myself to either stop complaining or put my convictions to work creating something new.  I believe with my heart and soul that “school” can and should be something more than what I experienced as a child.  I believe things can be different for those who desire change.  That a variety of options be available to learners of all ages can be challenging, positive and vitally important to the health of a community.  Boxes don’t work for me, having the freedom to experience life’s lessons in a format that works for the individual, that works for me…..I believed it might just work for others as well.

 

My vision, a program that closely resembles the community in which we reside, where children of all ages come together to learn about each other while learning about life, one that offers children and adults the opportunity to experience not only basic academics, but the fundamentals of life – social skills, the value of community service and volunteerism, compassion for one another, a love of learning.  To foster a sense of place and a genuine appreciation for this magnificent valley we call home.  We are surrounded by an abundance of talented people willing to offer their expertise, enthusiasm and life lessons and I wanted to weave those community members into the fabric of the school, enrich the process and provide real-life experiences to compliment the classroom.

 

Recognizing the limited diversity of the valley I wished to create a place where any family, no matter their means, could not only participate, but feel true ownership of the education process, a simple, affordable program that brought people from all walks of life together to celebrate learning, celebrate life and ultimately celebrate community.

 

After a number of inspirational meetings with Rayma Hayes of Little Star Montessori School, I drafted an invitation to anyone wishing to join in the process of creating a school.  The first meeting brought about 20 parents together, in November of 1998.

 

By January of 1999 a steering committee had been formed, non-profit status applied for and a $5000 anonymous start-up donation received.   By spring the core group split over what amounted to process versus product.  The product-minded few (4 people) remained to continue the work. Schools from around the state were closely examined as we attempted to determine a teaching model, parent involvement, the make-up of the student body and how we would afford to operate.  We were not out to re-invent the wheel, instead we would beg, borrow and steal many ideas to create our own program. The teaching models ranged from free-schools like Summerhill to the more moderate Chelan Valley Independent School….we seemed to settle somewhere in the middle, appreciating the hands-on, self-directed approach of Montessori programs and Expeditionary Outward Bound and finding importance in a “less is more” approach to academics . Core values include a community-based curriculum with a strong outdoor education program, self-directed learning, meaningful and consistent parental involvement.  Another core value for the founding members - to determine a tuition rate appropriate to the economics of the Methow Valley.  This proved to be one of our biggest challenges.

 

On a wing and a prayer, with $5000 padding our pockets, and a very generous rental agreement with Little Star we hired Marga vanTuijl and Kim Odell to start teaching in September 1999. To say we knew what we were doing would be a stretch….. we believed in our teachers and ourselves. We also knew our kids and what we felt in our hearts to be important for their souls!  Tuition for the first year was $100/month per student – we had 10 students.  Board members did absolutely everything, including teaching, cleaning, fundraising, during the first year.

 

As we grow we face more challenges, different challenges than we may have ever imagined possible.  The roles of board members and staff shift and change with the growth and all of us wonder from time to time the value of our efforts…..or where, perhaps we even fit into the process..…As I reflect on the foundation of this school, look at where we are and what tomorrow has to offer I am inspired.  We are here to determine our role in tending to the needs of a growing school……..in doing so, we are here to remember the children, what a quality day means to them, what a community means to them, and what tomorrow will be for them when given the opportunities to realize their true selves, not simply how they do or do not fit in the box.

 

Growing the Community School has taken an unimaginable level of commitment and involvement of every board member, parent and teacher these past seven years. This school is not a business like any other I’ve ever known.  It is a passion that grows from within the souls of parents, teachers and students alike.  It is not a simple machine that can be tinkered with, filled with gasoline, plied with cash.  It is a work in progress, a leap of faith, it is sweat and tears and it is real life, every day.  Without the passion we would not need to be here today.