Less than a year after it first emerged as a concept, Jefferson Community School – a private, secondary school for students in grades 6 to 12 – has 35 full-time students, and they look forward to showing up every morning, say their teachers.
Looking at the activities students have participated in thus far this year, it’s not hard to find a reason for that. Students have taken trips to the Hoh River, to the display of Pulitzer Prize-winning photos in Tacoma, and to Benaroya Hall to hear the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
These were the first of many educational “expeditions” aimed at giving students hands-on experience that will help them develop “respect and reverence” for the world around them, said school Headmaster Jim “Robbie” Roberts.
Seven students will participate in one upcoming “urban plunge” expedition during which they will live and work for a weekend in a homeless shelter in downtown Seattle, he said.
“We’re giving them a taste of what it’s like to be in a community,” he said.
Roberts, a retired Port Townsend High School teacher, said the school’s expedition-style curriculum is still being developed and could eventually involve students in designing their own expeditions, not all of which will involve traveling.
“We’re just beginning,” Roberts said. “We’re all on kind of a journey, and we’re not quite sure where it’s going to end up.”
When they’re not out and about, the students are in the school’s classroom, located on the second floor of the Good Templars Hall in downtown Port Townsend. The time the students spend there is also distinct from many secondary schools in that the schedule is not set in stone; if something is going well, they’ll keep going with it. And with such a small student-to-teacher ratio – the school is staffed with five core teachers and five others teaching specific subjects – they are forced to individualize.
“We can actually look at students as individuals instead of this mass group that we need to get through 50 minutes of class,” said Missy Miller, a science and math teacher at the school.
Libby Palmer of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center at Fort Worden State Park teaches oceanography and math. She said that with such a broad range of ages, students are able to make “learning leaps” by feeding off the accomplishments of other students.
“The older kids can look at the younger ones and say, ‘Oh, of course, that’s achievable,’” Palmer said.
Another of the school’s goals is a sense of community among the students, fostered through group activities and through morning meetings with the entire student body.
“I think one of our core values is a huge sense of community,” said language arts teacher Crystie Kisler. “In some ways, we’re creating a family.”
The school is in healthy financial shape, in part because of the method of administration. A group of five parents and the teaching staff meet each month to serve as the school board. The school does not have a full-time administrative staff.
“When you look at the salary of administrators, sometimes it kills the teaching,” Roberts said.
Tuition at the school is $6,000 a year per student. Reduced tuition is available for those who qualify.
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