Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506090019
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-25 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TONYA WOODS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This year he studied the history of the Roman Republic in a Hollins College history class.
"I've been exposed to things here that I couldn't have gotten anywhere else," he said. "The Hollins history class reminded me a lot of the history seminar [at Community]. There was so much discussion between the teacher and the students that it seemed like the teacher was a student too."
And, he has been backpacking through the Red Rock Canyon in Colorado, where he attended the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools conference in April.
"Community School does a good job of teaching about the environment and nature," he said.
Moser is the first student to attend Community School beyond the eighth grade. Last year he was accepted as a special student to focus his course of studies on creative writing and history.
Next year, three more students will join him as part of the Community School's Select Student Program.
Linda Thornton, who is in charge of the program, says Community School is not starting a high-school program. But, "we're interested in being able to offer them something."
"Students can come to us and take courses in local colleges and pursue their interests."
Students who believe their interests may be overlooked in a traditional high school setting can study under a curriculum that meets their educational needs as well as those interests - the main reason Moser decided to stay instead of going to North Cross or Lord Botetourt High, the schools he had considered attending.
When he was visiting different high schools in the area to determine which one would best suit his needs, Moser wrote an editorial in the Roanoke Times & World-News explaining why he would rather stay at Community School. During this time he was also an intern with the newspaper's editorial department.
As a student of the Select Program, he is preparing his academic course load for next year. It must be approved by his parents and Thornton.
Moser said he hopes to continue some of his studies at Hollins College, focusing on liberalism, surrealism and creative writing.
Last year when Moser had to decide which school to attend, Ann Moser, his mother, said the decision was left up him.
"I'm thrilled," she said, referring to Moser choosing to stay at Community School.
Ann Moser, a former middle school teacher, said the individual attention her son gets at Community School is much better than being part of a class with nearly 25 other students.
"To me learning at a one-to-one level is much more important than a big gym, a big peer group or state of the art computers," she said.
Whet Moser said he averages about three hours of homework a night. His subjects this year have included world history, Spanish, art, American religion, Latin and architecture.
By choosing to stay at Community School, Moser already has proved he is not your typical teen-ager. Getting no thrills from hours of video games, Moser prefers to sit back with a book, maybe something by fiction writer Fred Chapel, and listen to music by Paul Simon, B.B. King or Beethoven.
Would he fit in at a traditional high school? "It depends on the school," Moser said.
"I'm very introverted, and I'm not particularly organized," he said.
An alternative school, such as Community School, however, is not for everybody, he added.
"Community School is good for those who like to set their own schedules," he said. "Public school seems to be better for those who are a little more organized and those who like more structure."
With a teacher-student ratio of about 1 to 12, Community School is growing, said Moser. But it still has a stereotype to shed.
"The more we do here, the more we help break that mold of being known as a `hippie school.' We're presenting ourselves as a different kind of education."
by CNB