Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 22, 1990 TAG: 9005220442
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BECKY HEPLER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Then they decided to build their own secret garden. They studied soils, doing the soil test and then planning the fertilizers. They delved into landscaping, mapping out the garden, the walkway and a birdbath.
After planting the garden, the students made signs identifying the plants. The final task was to write a song to celebrate the garden and to perform it on the day the garden was dedicated.
"We like to take a holistic approach at the New School," said Lynn Hill, mother of two students and vice president for personnel. Where else can a reading assignment turn into math, science, art and music lessons?
Started in 1971, Blacksburg New School was borne of the open-education ferment of two decades ago. It is of note that one of the adults who helped build the fence for the secret garden is also one of the earliest alumni of the school. While many schools launched in that heady time have disappeared, the New School and its alternative education flourish.
The alternative includes ungraded classes, where students are grouped according to ability rather than age to work at their own pace, individually or in small groups, for which they get no A through F grades, merely check marks. A parent cooperative, BNS has a paid staff of four full-time and one part-time.
Contracts are big at the New School. Teachers, of course, have them, but so do parents, outlining the help they can give, whether as teacher's aide, janitor, serving on the board, or any of the countless tasks that go into keeping the school operating. Even the students have "contracts," agreeing to complete a set amount of school work within the week and checking it off as each unit is finished.
There are four classes at the school, roughly corresponding to pre-school through the sixth grade. Debbie Vacante works with the youngest group, teaching its members to read by having students make up their own stories. The next group has Sharry Sochinski, who directed their video history project, "You Are There." T.J. Stone's students continue to polish reading skills and Kathy Gay works with the oldest.
The outside of the gray, two-story building is nondescript, looking like an office complex, but inside is an explosion of color and visuals. Classes are designated not by grade but by color, so the Blue Room, the Green Room, the Pink Room and the Yellow Room have brightly colored doors and furnishings, much of it made by parents.
Walls are lined with student projects, art and photos of school events. There is a world map called "New School Voyages," studded with pins marking places students have visited.
Teachers design their own curricula, using state standards as minimum guidelines for their goals. "I love having the freedom and creativity to design my own curriculum," said Kathy Gay. "That's what I studied in getting my master's."
This design, plus individual attention and small classes, generates very positive results. Gay has been tracking the progress of former and current students through standardized test scores and other indicators. "We're knocking their socks off," she said. "We're meeting the minimum requirement and going way beyond."
"I asked the principal and teachers at the schools where our students went after here," Gay continued, "and they said, academically, our students are just fine; socially, they have a little trouble in the hall with all the doors, and certainly after the intimacy and smallness of the New School, I could see where they might have to wander around before finding their room."
Parents of former New Schoolers are equally quick with their praise. "I'm really impressed with this program," said Rebecca Dillaha. "They have the students writing as early as kindergarten and today, Essra is not afraid of the pen and paper like so many other children are. She learned early she could do it and enjoy it."
Despite this, the school does not seek state certification. "We know we could get it," said Lynn Hill. "We just don't have the work force to do all that paperwork that's required."
In the meantime, the school is full with 50 students and a waiting list. "We decided that 50 is our limit," said Hill. "We want to keep it small so we can retain the quality."
It costs $235 per month per child (this may rise in the near future), as well as the labor of the parent, which is very important at the New School. They perform support activities, such as maintenance. With no buses, field trips require car-pooling by the parents. Yard work, plumbing, and all the things required to keep a school going must be done by parents.
Moreover, tuition does not cover all the costs of running the school, so parents are busy with fund-raising - bake sales, car washes and other activities.
But the most important role parents play at the New School is the support of just being there. "I think it's important for my kids to know that there are schools where parents are involved and taking an active role in providing that education, " said Kathie Ward, recent president of the school and mother of two students.
Teachers also echo their approval for this parental support. "I like the parental cooperation," says Kathy Gay. "It communicates an important value to our kids."
by CNB