Turbo Shark

This is Turbo Shark, wearing his badass hat from Moscow that he found in his mom’s closet. It might have been his grandfather’s, who’s almost as cool as he is (you’ll get there eventually Yakov). Either way, I’m going to be corrected soon about where that hat came from by his mom. Probably before you read this.

Turbo Shark is a lifer, but he’s not only known for depth around here, he’s also known for breadth: he’s a fixture of our Lounge scene, where he plays a lot of cards and board games, and our tech scene (he has a USB port in the back of his head, he lets me charge my phone sometimes), and the outdoor game scene (don’t mess with him in four square he will boggle your torpid mind with complex rules and dazzle you with crab walk), and our School Meeting scene, where he’s never afraid to let us know precisely what he thinks; he says, “the School’s democratic processes are great; it allows me as a student to take action; like suppose there’s a law I don’t like. Well, I can say, “down with this terrible law!” If it’s a bad idea, I call it bad. if it’s a good idea I call it good.” I’d say he has a drop of prophet in him.

He’s a big part of all these intensely social scenes, but he also spends time by himself. You might find him, for example, slithering along the hallway floor like a worm, or squatting at the edge of the woods examining someone from the lumbricus genus, or strolling contentedly through our wooded playground, hands behind his back.

Turbo Shark’s thought is often alarmingly sophisticated, and his heart is sensitive, sweet, and as spacious as a church. He loves animals, he recently raised a raft of ducks as their mama; he slept with them every night for a month. His older brother Cheeseburger is a student here too, and they are such sweethearts, they give each other the best hugs.

Turbo Shark, you make the world a better place, all the time. We are so proud of you, and can’t believe our luck to claim you as a friend, and a member of our community; we hope you remain a fixture of all our scenes for a long, long time.

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.