Chloe

This is Chloe, an egirl with a goofy silent-movie sense of humor who didn’t eat breakfast this morning even though she “enjoys eating and sleeping more than everything else” (hey thanks for your honesty, Chloe, it’s true for everyone but who else says it?). Her friend gave me a key to her personality by calling her “a turtle.” It made sense: she’s easy to catch but hard to get – she dodges questions while remaining in plain site; and like a turtle, she’s obviously smart.

One thing that makes Chloe a little harder for someone (me) who didn’t grow up with smartphones to easily get is that a lot of her life and energy and creativity is #online. Her friends laugh out loud when I just ask about Chloe’s online presence. There’s wide consensus: she’s wickedly funny, and finely attuned to what her peers will respond to and what they will ignore. She thrives on platforms which have an ironic sensibility, like Tik Tok. According to her fans, she bypasses the hate, cruelty, and humiliation of social media and takes advantage of the creative potential; she came to Hudson Valley Sudbury School four years ago, when she found herself ahead of her peers in conventional school and *so bored*, and now she’s in the avant garde of the internet’s creative class, a bubbling meme factory unto herself. (Actually, Chloe, are you available to help me become meme-literate? I need that for professional development)

Chloe enjoys cooking, and she’s constantly changing up her appearance, with chains and layered shirts and haircuts and hair colors and temporary tattoos (pen) and nail paint and makeup and wow but you know, whatever you do, Chloe, your smile is wide and bright and generous and we see your eyes flashing and we’re so glad you’re here with us, enriching our lives, and (sorry to be sincere and not ironic) but we really think you’re cool, and talented, and funny, and we wanted to tell you, and thank you, so thank you.

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.