4/27/2005 11:46:00 AM New PT school serves grades 6-12
A new school opens its doors next fall in Port Townsend. Jefferson Community School (JCS) offers a private, multi-age program for grades 6 to 12 in the upstairs of the historic Good Templars Hall downtown.
The school opens under the direction of Julie Marston, former head of LOFT School and current director of St. Paul’s Academy, and Jim "Robbie" Roberts and Crystie Kisler, both of whom have worked in the Port Townsend public schools and currently teach at Peninsula College.
The three teachers say that their blend of philosophies and skills forge a solid foundation for the new program. After gathering input from parents, students and community members, they developed a vision for an educational experience that is "rigorous, relevant and experiential," said Marston.
According to Roberts, who teaches and serves as headmaster: “Simply put, my approach emphasizes people, not curriculum, as the desired outcome of schooling. What we want to develop are students who not only have the skills to become active contributors to our society and the world but who also possess the will and the desire to do so."'
The school offers strong core academics, and its small class size allows teachers to individualize curriculum. Expeditions will frequently take students beyond the classroom walls to study subjects at their sources.
“Our program combines a scholar’s devotion to learning with an adventurer’s call to expedition," said Kisler, the school's academic coordinator.
Beyond local and regional expeditions, JCS opens the possibility of international journeys. Roberts, through his YMCA Expedition Club, has traveled for several summers with student groups to a village in northern Thailand to experience cultural immersion and to volunteer on service projects.
Other highlights of the program include the annual Walkabout, an expedition designed to foster community-building; the Winter Stage, a month-long immersion in the creative arts that culminates in a public presentation; and Field Study Fridays, a weekly foray into the field to experience applied sciences, urban studies and arts culture.
As JCS students advance in grades they will have the opportunity to dovetail their studies with courses offered at the Port Townsend branch of Peninsula College, where Roberts and Kisler continue their association.
Tuition for Jefferson Community school is $6,000 per year; a parent committee is at work on a possible financial aid plan. The school is accepting applications for the 2005-06 school year; more information and application forms are available at jeffersoncommunityschool.com or by calling Marston at 385-5284.
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