What’s New

In order to function effectively in a democratic organization with shared leadership, responsibilities and honoring all voices, the teachers at The New School recognize how integral it is to have good communication skills.  This week, as the students worked on their annual community agreements for the school, they are also learned how to better work within and as a group.  Lauren Tenney is an experienced facilitator, coach, and trainer working specifically with groups to improve function and communication.  Lauren provided an array of exercises to prepare students to actively participate in their own governance. Two days this week, the students [...]

To begin the school year, The New School traveled to the Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in the famous White Mountains of New Hampshire. For many students this was an exciting, yet challenging way to begin the school year. Upon arrival, they were met by the outstanding AMC Education Staff, including Rachel, Lucy, Owen, and Josh, who we spent the majority of our time with at Pinkham Notch. As students unpacked and got coordinated, groups gathered together and met their AMC Guide. Each group then met with their guide and started to form team names and approach. [...]

This summer we've had the pleasure of getting to know our new science teacher and her lively, four-legged sidekick, Cooper!  Ally Muir grew up in New Jersey, but spent summers and college in Maine where she has always felt most at home. After graduating from Colby with a major in Geology and minor in Russian, she taught at The Ecology School in Saco. In the summers she lead long distance bike tours (across country, down the Pacific Coast) and backpacking trips (in the Alps). While living in Colorado she taught at an alternative, residential High School in the mountains and [...]

Ever wonder what families at The New School do in their "real life?"  Last weekend some adult members of The New School community gathered at Dragonfly Meadow Farm in Limerick, Maine, to participate in activities that have been offered to children at the farm's summer camp programs for the past 5 years.  Dragonfly Meadow Farm is home to the Little Farm School, a Waldorf-inspired, early childhood program for ages 2 through 6.  Mary Graham is founder and teacher here, where "daily life on the farm is the curriculum, and the blessings of childhood are preserved through play." The experience was filled with hands-on activities that brought adult campers [...]

  View an album of photos from the recent LEAP Night. TNS students' pride and engagement in their learning was in full evidence at the June LEAP Night where they showcased their work from the semester. At LEAP* Night, TNS's version of final exams, students create exhibits of their work and spend an hour with Feedback Teams, pairs of adults who ask open ended questions designed to help students articulate their strengths, challenges and emerging passions. Although new students often find their first LEAP night daunting, after a few LEAP nights students have gained self-confidence and truly enjoy the [...]

Art in all its forms -- fine arts, crafts, photography, theater and music -- is an integral part of the curriculum at The New School. An exhibit in May at The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk showcased the wonderful creations of thirteen TNS students in a wide variety of medium, including photography, painting, sculpture, sketching, printmaking, ink drawing and jewelry. TNS is extremely grateful to the outstanding artists and photographers who have mentored students over the past several semesters, including Jean Husby, Michael Wilson, Tess Johnson, Andrew Houser, Greg Rec, Mark Ettinger, Annie Lemieux, Christine Anuszewski and Hope [...]

Steve Schaefer's class deciding which historical periods to study Students at The New School have a strong voice in the design of their classes. This is apparent in Steve Schaefer's second semester history class where students are defining the historical periods they want to learn about, based on their families' histories. For several weeks students explored their family trees through the website Ancestry.com. They were particularly looking to uncover the time frames and countries from which their ancestors immigrated to America. (Two students discovered family records going back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries!) Students are now narrowing [...]

A major goal of The New School is to help young people identify their passions and gain the confidence to actualize them before and after high school. Students are encouraged to weave their interests into their coursework throughout their time at the school -- and this is particularly true during senior year. Senior Projects are a significant undertaking that students must complete in order to graduate. With ongoing guidance from their Faculty Advisors and roundtable committees of students, faculty and parents, seniors design projects that engage their talents and interests while challenging them to grow in new ways. [...]