Poe-Poe

This is Poe-Poe, an OG member of the much-loved super savage “squad” who can expertly aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try, aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb, badger, dog, browbeat, hector, harry, persecute, plague, torment, and torture but also gratify, satify, flush, favor, oblige, please, elate, and indulge equally effectively. She can prank me without crossing the line or defacing up my clothing (unlike her sister), and she can lip off with the best of ‘em, on a dime; I used to to actually consider my outfit in the morning based on what she would say the moment I walked in the kitchen door (“ooh you look older than usual”). Recently she’s been doing this thing where she punches the air alarmingly close to your face and yells, “doosh!” Maybe it sounds dumb but when she does it it’s charming and funny. And she integrates her teasing with consummate politeness and fairness: she says “please” and “thank you” and asks how you’re doing, and she’s always willing to help out, wash a dish or whatever. She’ll toughen you up and make you smile and warm your heart. You just want to have her around. She’s competent and fun, the kind of person you want on your Apocalypse Team, or any team for that matter. Poe-Poe just moved way out to the woods, and tho she’s always been tough, now she’s becoming a real woodswoman (“I got three chipped tooth”) and to prove it we’ve got acorns and black walnuts dehydrating in the kitchen.

Here’s something else to adore about Poe-Poe: she’s usually totally at peace with who she is and where she’s at. She’s not trying to grow up too fast or graduate yesterday or become an adult tomorrow; she likes being a kid, as evidenced but her sweet love-affair with Minecraft and her silly antics and sweet activities (think picnic) with #thesquad. It’s counterintuitive, but Poe-Poe’s embrace of childhood actually grounds her in an authentic maturity which is all too rare in a world where so many of us are trying so hard to be someone else – we can all learn from that. Poe-Poe, thank you for making us laugh so much, and lighting up this building, and showing us all how to do self-directed education every day.

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.