Coral-reef

This is Coral-reef, a delicate yet resilient and elaborate ecosystem of a human full of bizarre and beautiful and bizarrely beautiful creatures. Perhaps the name is also inspired by his wonderfully wild mass of curly black hair, which calls to mind one of those squangey, dangly, drifty seaweeds. But anyway. You’re probably wondering, after they published that essay on isopods (“anything of the Isopoda phylum earns my immediate respect”), slugs (“slugs, of course, are a given for any list which includes gastropods”), and hagfish (“a rather odd species indeed, hagfish produce a slime that can clog the gills of other fish”), rather than a photo of themself, in the 2015-2016 yearbook, if they are still interested in creepy critters. They are. They say they like to get his daily exercise from a “good swing on the swings, in any weather,” prefer to eat hot food, and often seek the quieter corners of the building. They’re into D&D, game development, and inscrutable jokes. He says he appreciates the open nature of our program and that he’s allowed to “figure things out for [himself],” their preferred method of learning. They’re often wrapped up tight in whatever they’re doing, but they’re always ready with a smile, or to pretend to be an angry moose, and they’re quick with a big, warm greeting every morning. Coral-reef, thank you so much for being such a colorful community of elegant and mysterious coraly features; we appreciate so much your sweet humor, singular intellect, and ardent curiosity – we are proud, and so are the hagfish.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Screens are allowed at school, with restrictions.

Each student aged 13+ is automatically enrolled in our High School Advisor Program;

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

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

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.