Gus

This is Gus, a super-sweet and articulate mad artist (like a mad scientist except with art). Gus is starting his third year here, and despite missing occasional stretches of time to live his other life in Iowa (seriously), he’s already impacted the community in some really positive if subtle ways and has accomplished a lot during his time here. He’s gently advocated for accessibility at school, especially for the protection of quiet and calm places for students to spend time at school and for easier access to the school’s democratic processes. He has a quiet strength, like an Audi A4 (NB: I thought of this dumb simile because Gus drove up our driveway today going 10 MPH. Now he knows what the expression “lead foot” means).

And the mad artist stuff. Gus is an inventive creator of coustumey things like weird giant fake taxidermy in neon colors, bizarre intricate costumes, and an alarming wolf thing that you put on your head and wear as a cape. Or Gus does, anyway, and looks great doing it. He also does quite a bit of drawing, mostly whimsical and delightful animal characters. He spends most of his time at school rippin’ cloth and gluin’ foam in the art room, but can also be found in the treehouse hanging with his equally mad pals with frequency. Gus says, “I love that the school is so creatively driven; it’s full of passionate makers. I just appreciate having such a nice space to study and do whatever I want. It’s a cool cooperative place.”

Gus has some really sweet and solid friendships, so I asked him what his philosophy of friendship is. His response was, “casual honesty,” which I thought was pretty cool and will now be the title of Gus’ forthcoming self-help book. He also noted that it’s important to laugh with folks to become friends and achieve “mutual understanding,” which is wildly insightful and incisive. Thanks for that, Gus. We’re so glad you landed here, and we’re looking forward to laughing with you and hiking the Catskills and kicking it all year long.

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.