Syl Syl Gorgeous

This is Syl Syl Gorgeous, our very own irrepressible, carbonated, prescription-strength fashion designer; she’s locally famous for edgy hilarity, even hysteria. Take the exorcism she staged in the nurse’s office, for exampe (it involved ketchup, and that’s all you really need to know), or the “freak water fight” that left her soaking, afterwhich, she says, “I designed an entire outfit, including hairpiece and shoes, out of trash bags and looked amazing the rest of the day, rather than let my soaking clothes get me down.” Her alarmingly high-pitched scream is worthy of Hitchcock, and she used to employ it with startling frequency at the slightest provocation; these days she reserves it for snow fleas and bad fashion.

Syl is one of the most subtle and sensitive artists to offer their work to the public at our Winter Gift Sale; she offers fine moss-art terrariums that tell stories. She’s put in the time studying moss life-stages and ecosystems and carefully and responsibly harvest it from our woods at school; she does with moss what ikebana practitioners do with flowers; each terrarium is a self-contained world, complete with narrative and ecosystem. They are elegant enough for your living room, droll enough for your bathroom.

Syl Syl Gorgeous is studious, committed, and curious. She’s always doing a lot, whether it’s working the school store, crafting in the art room, or working on academic skills with her beloved tutor. Next up, she hopes, is stained glass and screen printing – and the school trip to Latvia. As an artist, she takes inspiration from bold visionary female phenoms like Marina Abromovic and Yayoi Kusama. Her own aesthetic is energetic, strong, and scathingly funny. She credits HVSS with helping her to “become more aware of what [she] wants to do” and what she’s passionate about. She adds, “I think I’m learning a lot of what people call, ‘life-skills’ that I’ll need later on.” Syl, we want to tell you that you light us up, you exorcise our demons, you make us feel beautiful, you squirt ketchup on us and make us laugh at ourselves despite ourselves; thank you for being here with us, and keep it coming.@sylviakagan, find her depop at sylcat4782

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.