it is applied to some of the most disadvantaged and oftentimes troubled young people of the District. Yet the energy, love and life that emanate as soon as one enters the modest building are proof enough that something very special is happening here. I hear one tough looking lad say with something like awe after Horn has passed him in the corridor, ‘they should clone that guy – he could run the world’
The transformation has been the result of good leadership, but also a deep understanding, backed up by research, of what makes people switch on and enjoy learning and living. Building caring relationships between people within and outside the school has been key. One of the first changes was to do away with the seven period day where students moved from class to class and there was little accountability. Now every student is assigned a teacher. Rather than that teacher becoming their advisor, that teacher is their teacher every day for the whole trimester. This has been effective in reducing truancy and in building this culture of care. Kris Olsen, teacher, comments, ‘As a teacher it is really important to be able to build relationships with kids, which we’re able to do in the cohorts, having the same kids the whole time.’ There are a myriad of small things that contribute to this
caring culture. For example, Horn’s approach to students who have been referred to his office, ‘When a student has been sent to me, maybe there are difficulties with the teacher, they know to grab a cup of tea. Then they read the quote on the Yogi tea, and then they grab their journal and then they write. What that does is it diffuses the anger and the distress they are feeling, and then they relate this to their life and we have a conversation. There are no discipline problems around here.’ Classes often begin and end with circle time, first an ‘expectations’ circle, where students and teachers state their hopes and expectations for their role in the class, and finally an ‘appreciations’ circle, where students are able to exchange thanks and appreciations for others’ role. An important element for Horn has been caring for his staff and giving them the space and time they need to develop their own practices. He is a hands-on leader who at least once a week will combine two classes and substitute for two teachers to free them up to do preparation. On Fridays, when the primary focus is on projects, community service and conservation, he takes
AL Kennedy activities revolve around five themes of sustainability - Agriculture, Architecture, Energy, Forests and Water. Within each
theme there is a focus on practical problem solving, academic skills, and creating future employment opportunities.
over these activities to give his staff half a day for meeting and preparation.
A second step has been to build a strong school ethos based
on sustainability and service, which builds not only self esteem but also practical skills and wisdom. School activities are structured around five themes of sustainability – Agriculture, Architecture, Energy, Forests and Water. Horn has sought to develop a range of programmes with community partners that address each of these issues. Within each theme there is a focus on practical problem solving, academic skills, and on creating future employment opportunities . According to Horn, ‘Kennedy represents a new paradigm or a new way of thinking about education. It’s project based, it’s place-based and it allows students to engage in constructive activities that relate specifically to real-world issues, around sustainability and around environmental issues that are affecting us all’. The wide range of ambitious projects in which students have
been involved include: - growing fresh organic food for the most in need in the
community (over 3 tonnes to date), – partnering with the County to implement mitigation measures at a landfill site,
- gathering water monitoring data at industrial outflow sites as
part of an annual canoe trip from Eugene to Portland, - developing a low-cost energy efficient green housing
prototype, which it is hoped could ameliorate housing conditions at the trailer parks on which many of the students live,
- learning how to build a straw bale house at the local energy
research and education centre, Approvecho - carrying out invasive species removal work through the school
conservation corps, in partnership with the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Coast Fork Watershed Council.
Horn has helped students set up an apiary in partnership with a local business. Here they learn beekeeping and the importance of bees to world food supplies.
CLEARING 2011
Both teachers and students find this approach stimulating and enjoyable. Kris Olsen again, ‘One of the reasons I really love
www.clearingmagazine.org/online
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