Dots

This is Dots, and you’ll be very lucky to ever get a chance to meet her. But if you aren’t so lucky, here’s what you should do: go out in the afternoon on one of those mid-autumn days when the sky is exquisitely blue and impossibly high, the sunlight is immaculate and clear and golden, the air is alive and sharp, and the leaves are coppery, rose, and apple. Climb a grassy hill and lay down. Smell the fresh earth, and be quiet. Soften, and relax. That’s Dots.

I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that Dots might be the nicest person I’ve ever met. She’s also that rarest, most refreshing, and encouraging of things: a good listener. She has friends of all ages, and nary a naysayer. She’s perceptive, she reads people and situations as easily as I read the back of my cereal box, and she responds to them deliberately.

Dots is a fine and powerful actor; she’s been in many HVSS productions. She’s got something, in her body language and intonation, when she acts – something subtle, like in the precise angle she holds her neck, the blink of her eyelids, the pivot of her foot, or the presence so evident in her eyes. She’s so good. This spring she’s directing a play she wrote along with one of her best buds here at school (stay tuned for Diva Goose), so keep an eye out for show dates and times.

Dots is an HVSS lifer; she says she used to look up so much to the teens at school, she knows hows powerful that is, and she’s takes her role as exemplar seriously. She’s served as JC Clerk and School Meeting Chair. She makes art and she’s preparing for the SAT. She’s taken classes at Bard College and earned As. She is as steady as they come, but she’s also a lot of fun. Gosh Dots, I could go on. We are going to miss you like crazy after you graduate this spring, but it’s so clear you’re so ready. We’ll be here, rooting for you, and thinking of you, especially on those red mid-autumn afternoon…

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.