The word “community” is a much often spoke word at Mountain Road School. We talk about “Community of Learners”, “Community Meetings”, “Community Projects”, “Community Gatherings”, “Community Compact of Understanding” and in general our “Community” as a whole. We believe each member of our community has an important place in the school. Parents, children, extended family, friends, faculty, staff, Darrow School and Abode residents are all a part of our overall community and contribute to the greater whole.
Community Meetings occur twice a year in the evenings and are a chance for the entire adult community to come together and take part in the governance of the school. Often an issue will be focused on or sometimes a topic might be discussed. These meetings are facilitated by the Parent Representative and are well attended by the faculty and parent community of the school.
Community Learning occurs both in the classrooms and outside the school. As a part of our Sense of Place curriculum the children study communities at each developmental level in every classroom first focusing on communities near and dear and then moving on to communities outside one’s knowledge. During the last week in June, the entire school participates in a School-On-Legs Week where children explore the local environment on and off campus through trips, hands-on activities and projects.
Service learning opportunities are an integral part of our curriculum. There are connections with the Abode farm and gardens, with Darrow School, a private preparatory school down the road, and with Charlie’s Pantry, a local community pantry in New Lebanon. Each year, the school organizes an Empty Bowls dinner in collaboration with Darrow School which raises money for Charlie’s Pantry and organizations such as, Unicef, Oxfam International, and the Heifer Project. Darrow students come once a week as part of their “Hands to Work” program to assist in the classrooms, and we share in both their Winter Revels and Maplefest.
“Mountain Road School comes closer to making ideals a reality than any other organization I have ever encountered.”
Teacher
