Goose

This is Goose, the low key star of the show here. Wait, wait cancel that; *high key* star, and we are her biggest Stans. I’m not low key throwing shade, and she ain’t gassed, but Goose is soooo LIT. She’s a dancer and an actor, a choreographer and a director, a best friend and a trill-er of our community.

Goose is a lifer, and it shows: she goes out and gets it, she’s in charge of her own life, hundo p. She does perseverance; she works at challenges determinedly. Goose does dance; her whole life in fact, and she moves through the school with the precision and clarity of a dancer too: precisely, diplomatically, confidently, humbly, wittily. Goose does advocacy; she speaks up when she has something to say, and has the courage to say it even when her friends or the staff or- hell, everyone else – disagrees. And its usually wise, and its usually in the service of others. She circulates through the school with Dots regularly, making sure she knows everyone’s name (and that they know hers). Goose does fashion better than Kim K; her vintage game is so on fleek you’d think it must be in her jeans 😉 Last year Goose took a leading role in conceiving, directing, producing, and starring in a promotional video for the school that garnered over 600,000 views. This year she’s preparing for the SAT and directing and producing a play and going to Latvia. She helped start our alarmingly successful Theater Cooperative and has been the president since its inception. She has a lot of reasons she could walk around here with a swole head, but- she doesn’t! She’s freaking reasonable and nice and super funny. We’re going to die when she graduates next year. We might actually close. We could make it our excuse to move to Hawaii. We should just be glad Goose isn’t flying the coop this year. Goose, you know we love you, and we try not to be too clingy and/or cringey, ok? We admire you, we use urban dictionary to try to impress you, and we root for you hard, and we appreciate so much what you do to make the school better. We know that you’ll remember us fondly too when you’re rich and famous.

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.