Ruby

This is Ruby, a seven year veteran of HVSS and an autodidact musician, caricature artist, freaky freegan, and freakin’ free thinker. At the beginning of our interview he identified as a “hedonist,” but by the end he had switched to, “eudaimonist.” He says, “I don’t come here to learn. I come here because I’m happy. I learn things along the way, sure, but it’s not my goal.” I’ve seen Ruby eat a gummy bear so caked with dust you couldn’t tell what color it was (I advised him against it, but that may have been counterproductive); others have seen him eat sandwiches out of trash cans (“they’re just sitting on top, perfectly good!”). He’s thrifty, self-disciplined, and resourceful; he’s created two of our more successful businesses at school. One was, “jammin’ coffee” – he had a little chalkboard menu, a French Press, cool music, a vase with flowers, and sincere conversation. The other is still operational – a snow cone stand, much appreciated by the masses. Ruby’s friend calculated that, at $1 a cone, he’s hauling in approximately 3,000% profit.

Ruby has made remarkable changes in the last several years. He says, for one thing, he opened up to the idea that critical feedback could be productive, and for another, he accepted that he has allies (rather than exclusively enemies) in this world. He’s become a leader – not only is he our School Meeting Chair this year, he’s also one of the most thoughtful, reflective, balanced, and articulate people around. And I never thought I would write that sentence, but there you have it. Talking to Ruby feels more like a genuine, mutual, interested, coequal exchange – than talking with many of of my personal friends. His incisive analysis is always worthwhile, and tho his opinions are strong, he ain’t no kool-aid drinker – he has epistemological humility.

Ruby’s abiding passion is the drums, and he’s been in all kinds of groups and performances. It used to be a constant conversation: Ruby needs to drum all the time, the rest of us need to think; how are we gonna do this? Awww but we love it, he knows.

Ruby, we admire you, we fully support your SoundCloud rapper fashion trend. Aww, geez, forgive us, but- we love you, man.

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.