The New School

Students in Peter Berg's Ecological Sustainability class recently visited nearby Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve to learn about the importance of estuaries and the biotic and abiotic factors that comprise them. The Reserve consists of 2,250 acres of protected land, a restored saltwater farm called Laudholm and is a natural refuge for wildlife. The Reserve contains a composition of plants and animals not found elsewhere in Maine. The purpose of the class is to examine how the principals of sustainability intersect with the sciences of biology and ecology. In these photos, students are comparing salinity levels in different pools within [...]

TNS student Wyatt recently attended the AERO (Alternative Education Resource Organization) conference in New York with Principal Peter Berg and others from TNS. While there he interviewed Dr. Peter Gray (photo) and Jerry Mintz, both nationally known figures in the alternative school movement, to get their perspectives on holistic education, as offered at schools such as The New School. The purpose of Wyatt's interviews was to gather information in order to complete a “Gateway”. Instead of using the grade designations of freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, TNS has three “Phases”. Advancing to the next Phase involves completing Gateways -- structured [...]

The New School kicks off every school year with a two day retreat that helps students get to know one another, learn about democratic decision-making at TNS, set goals, and develop "agreements" or principals that the community will abide by over the coming year. This year's retreat took place at Lions Camp Pride on Merrymeeting Lake in New Durham, NH. Principal Peter Berg shared two comments from other adults on site at the end of the retreat: "These are the deepest conversations I have had heard in a long time. These kids are really aware." -- Lifeguard.  "I am impressed by the [...]

The following description was written by a parent at The New School who accompanied a group of TNS students to Iceland in May. View more photos from this unforgettable trip here. For over a year, nine TNS students planned, raised funds for, and finally in May, embarked on a trip to Iceland as an annual Intensive learning experience that is a hallmark of education at TNS. The students immersed themselves in hiking and photography in one of the most beautiful and untouched places on the planet. The landscape was almost inexplicable at times, from the dramatic cliffs that were the [...]