This is Boss Lady, the proprietor of our School Store; she shops, she stocks, she employs, and she does it all with impressive poise, even if it is a complex and difficult task: “it’s a lot to keep up with,” she says, “because those teriyaki bowls go so fast.” Keep ‘em coming, Boss, and maybe stock some brownies sometime soon, and *thank you*. Boss Lady does a lot of sports and theater at school, and she’s very involved in running the place too; she is a frequent participant in our democratic processess, and a member of many committees. Boss Lady left HVSS for a year to try traditional schooling, but came back. She says, “I’m glad I went, but I reall wanted to have my voice back, to be able to choose my own path and also I wanted the JC(Judicial Committee) system back.” She added, “HVSS is a very creative place, full of creativity.” Very creative statement, Boss Lady, thanks for modeling! She also noted, “It’s also full of laughter, especially from me,” and her friend confirms, “yeah, I’ll breathe just slightly loudly and then make eye contact with Boss Lady and she bursts out laughing.” Boss Lady is a great friend to many of our younger students, and goes out of her way to be available when they want to hang. She is kind and courageous, tough and tender; one of those rare, balanced people who can just as easily be a rock, or move like water; you’d want here there in a crisis, or at your birthday party. Or anytime. Everytime. So thanks for being such a boss, Boss Lady; don’t forget those brownies!
Opportunities
At Zena Democratic School, we pride ourselves on offering our students endless opportunities; they are free to pursue their interests, dabble in this and that, or to fall head over heels into a subject without interruption – for as long as the interest remains, or to follow it wherever it may lead.
But the most valuable opportunity we offer students is the time and space to discover who they are. Students at ZDS have time to be, to think, to talk, to play, to discover what they enjoy and appreciate and, equally importantly, what they don’t enjoy or appreciate. We offer an opportunity to practice crucial skills such as motivation, persistence, articulation, and humility, to be part of a democratic community, and to experience acceptance, cooperation, recognition, and celebration. This unstructured time is where the real beauty of the ZDS experience lies and where the most important learning usually takes place.
However, many people do love content and instruction, and there is plenty of organized and formal activity at school. Students often organize this on their own, or with the assistance or leadership of a Staff Member, but they may also request the Programming Clerk to facilitate whatever kind of instruction or activity they’d like to have, from basic reading instruction to skateboarding lessons to sex education; every topic under the sun is theoretically available for our students to explore and to receive instruction upon.