School is a Fantasy

School is a fantasy, a mirage of security cooked up by dreamy social engineers, a band-aid to place on parental worry; in reality there is no way to prepare kids adequately for the future, which is always in flux, totally uncertain – especially these days, and which by definition doesn’t even exist.

At HVSS parents and their children bravely face this reality and place their trust in the steadiest and most reliable tools they have: the innate curiosity and enthusiasm they have for finding things out, the playfulness with which they explore worlds, and their inherited drive to competence, which has lifted untold generations of their ancestors to dazzling success.

Promises of security will always be alluring and soothing, especially to parents. But we’ve had 100 years of schooling and the future isn’t looking any brighter – the promise is fading. It’s time we stopped placing all our trust in authorities, experts, and technologies, and started placing it in our kids.

Parents’ experience of the school is a crucial factor in determining their childrens’ experience of the school. Children of parents who work hard to understand our philosophy, communicate with staff, attend events, and connect with the community usually get the most out of our program.

At Zena Democratic School, rule infractions and interpersonal conflicts are resolved using sophisticated restorative justice tools.

Age-mixing is one of the most potent developmental experiences at Zena Democratic School.

Each student aged 14+ is automatically enrolled in our High School Advisor Program;

Screens are allowed at school, with restrictions.

At Zena Democratic School, a Cooperative (coop) is a group of like-minded students and staff who organize around a common interest, like music, art, or sports.

At Zena Democratic School, the jobs of administration and maintenance are divided into roles called Clerkships;

Every student and staff at Zena Democratic School is assigned a cleaning job by the Physical Plant Clerk.

Students may receive a diploma if they elect to undergo our internal diploma process.

Zena Democratic School is located on a parcel of 67 wooded acres in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in the Hudson Valley region of New York State.

Zena Democratic School is a direct democracy; each student and member of the staff has an equal vote in managing all aspects of the school’s operation.