This is Vanny, third-year Sudbury student and former unschooler, contemplative builder of quirky worlds, relentless slayer of mini-pizzas. He is gentle-hearted but courageous, like a lion with a sheep’s head (note to self this simile should be workshopped).
Vanny is a thoughtful, considerate, and fiercely supportive friend, and some evidence for this is his love of the lowly chicken. He wears chickens on his favorite covid mask and on his rain boots, and he’s got tons of chicken friends. He says, “they’re soft and sweet and they can be easily rehabilitated.” He recommends outfitting them with diapers if you want to bring them indoors.
Vanny is a creator; he makes costumes, comics, animations, screenplays, and other stuff too. His writing is dark, funny, cool, and frankly terrifying (it’s supposed to be). He says he is “very ambitious. There’s a lot I want to accomplish, but I’m realistic about it. I don’t expect things to happen overnight, or without work, but I have worked for years on my projects and I expect it to be worth it.” He already makes bank, too, he even hired a web-designer for his site, which you should check out at dancinragdollscomics.com.
Vanny appreciates having the time and space at Sudbury to “work on the things I need to work on.” He believes his social skills, work ethic, and time-management have all improved dramatically since he enrolled. He says, “it’s a place you can find your people. I’ve changed a lot since I came here. I’ve really gotten better mentally, and just as a person.” Dang Vanny man, you are such a good person. Thank you so much for everything you do for the community; you will always be welcome here ❤️
Opportunities
At Zena Democratic School, we pride ourselves on offering our students endless opportunities; they are free to pursue their interests, dabble in this and that, or to fall head over heels into a subject without interruption – for as long as the interest remains, or to follow it wherever it may lead.
But the most valuable opportunity we offer students is the time and space to discover who they are. Students at ZDS have time to be, to think, to talk, to play, to discover what they enjoy and appreciate and, equally importantly, what they don’t enjoy or appreciate. We offer an opportunity to practice crucial skills such as motivation, persistence, articulation, and humility, to be part of a democratic community, and to experience acceptance, cooperation, recognition, and celebration. This unstructured time is where the real beauty of the ZDS experience lies and where the most important learning usually takes place.
However, many people do love content and instruction, and there is plenty of organized and formal activity at school. Students often organize this on their own, or with the assistance or leadership of a Staff Member, but they may also request the Programming Clerk to facilitate whatever kind of instruction or activity they’d like to have, from basic reading instruction to skateboarding lessons to sex education; every topic under the sun is theoretically available for our students to explore and to receive instruction upon.