Goaty

This is Goaty, a wise-crackin’, good-humored, conscientious, and athletic gamer, coder, engineer, and friend. He is the default alderman of the room we blandly call, “Lounge Extension Room 1;” last year, he funded and carried out a major facelift of the room, patching a hole in the wall, installing new color LEDS which dramatically light the room from below the tables, and sanding, priming, and painting the walls and trim, with a little help from his compadre. He’s also the guy who will ask you to remove your feet from the table, if you should rest them there, or the guy who will remind you to clean up your stuff in there if you um, er, forget. Goaty takes ownership and responsibility, and he gets things done. He has the charisma,the practicality, and the impetus to action of a natural leader – his buddies love and admire him. He has a warmth about him that draws you in like fresh baked chocolate chip cookies; he makes you smile, and usually laugh, too.

Goaty has a penchant for the outrageous, and his humor tends towards the slapstick. Swing by sometime and you just might catch him lunching at a miniature picnic table set atop our massive boulder, or leaping into a giant stack of tires with his hair on fire (kidding! kiiiiiiiding!)

Goaty has built some elaborate and singular forts in the free-build section of our playground, utilizing everything from tarps to ladders to 2x4s to pvc pipe and shale rock. He codes game sheets and sells them online. He’s interested in following in his dad’s footsteps and finding a niche in the engineering world. He’s so capable and willing, it’s easy to imagine it. What does Goaty like best about HVSS? “Easy,” he says, “the freedom. I can do what I love. I can sit down and focus on what I want. And the people are really great.” Awwww, Goaty, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves: you kick ass at being free, and you’re pretty great yourself. Don’t you ever forget it.

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.