The January 29th meeting of Op-Group marked the second week that the majority of our time was occupied by discussion inspired by the Renewing Steller position paper. In those two meetings of Op-Group, and Counseling Groups meeting in between, much information from students has been accumulated. As expected, the stances of the Steller student body are varied, but have illuminated what students want to see happen with Steller's future.
The overall impetus of the position paper, being that Steller is not functioning to its fullest potential, is (for the most part) agreed to be an issue needing redress. As has been already stated in past blogs/comments, there are students who like Steller as it is and see no reason for change, be it drastic or minute; however, the majority of students believe that revitalization is needed.
Delving deeper into the position paper, the student body hesitates and, in some cases, opposes certain clauses. The strongest opposition has come against the notion of reducing the school size. Under no circumstances does the student body as a whole believe this is a credible action, let alone necessary. Concerns about specifically recruiting students from elementary open-optional school are also numerous. Within Op-Group, the majority of representatives did not attend a school with an optional program.
Concerning the position paper in its entirety the student body is somewhat divided. Some wish to see the position paper examined thoroughly and extensively. Others agree with many of the clauses, but wish to see those goals attained through pre-existing avenues (i.e. the Strategic Plan, Student Orientation).
If anyone has specific questions regarding information accumulated by Op-Group I would be happy to answer them. My e-mail address is breen_dl@hotmail.com or I am reachable at Steller Mon-Fri for most of the day :-)
High Chancellor of Op-Group (Chair)
David L Breen
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Moving forward
I'm excited about the meeting coming up Wednesday evening (details here) because it will be our first opportunity for a broad-ranging, open discussion with the entire Steller community on the issues we've brought up. I sincerely believe that Steller students, parents and staff are much closer in their views than they realize. We've all read and endorsed the Steller philosophy, so we can't be that far apart. But we spend too much time wondering what others might think without engaging in serious discussion to find out where we really are. Once we begin talking about the vision for the school each of us has, I'm hoping it will match up in some major respects and that we can then move forward in working toward that vision. We will need openness and a willingness to hear new ideas. If we come to this with good will, only good can come of it.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Essential Readings
Gary Steele has gathered some interesting readings on the essential components of strong schools, which are posted on our Ideas and Documents page. Here's his summary and explanation of what you'll find there:
In the 70’s books like Future Shock and Mega Trends told us that in the future our culture – and indeed our world – would become less centrally organized. That local organization and decision making would become the focus, rather than large centralized bureaucracies. Well, the future is here, and you can read Dee Hock, Founder and President of Visa International talk about how his company did just that, and about how to manage from mission and purpose rather than top-down, command and control structures.
Then you might ask yourself : If we are to live into the Stelle(a)r mission of “…creating independent, courageous people capable of dealing with the shifting complexities of the modern world,” What kind of structures do we need to be modeling?
You may have heard Margaret Wheatley speak when the Foraker Group brought her to Anchorage a couple of years ago. Her article “Bringing Schools Back to Life” talks about the importance of shared mission and purpose in creating “living systems.” Most of our educational structures, she observes, are artificial systems because – like out district and neighborhood schools – they are based on geography rather than shared mission and values. Steller was founded on shared values. So read this and see if you don’t agree with our concern that if Steller is to continues as a “living” system – where people “weave together mutually sustaining relationships” rather than an “artificial” system, reaffirming the mission and core values is essential.
The excerpt from the book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community discusses the important role schools play in building community and how they are essential to developing “social capital.” Anyone who lived through both the ’64 earthquake and the pipeline boom here in Anchorage will resonant with what these researchers are saying about the the importance of social capital and what happens when it is lost.
They also report on the research that indicates that the best schools are ones in which parents take an active role in both the classroom and school governance. This is corroborated by the report release in 1996 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals: Breaking Ranks: Changing and American Institution. This report identifies collaborative decision making, including a school council, as a cornerstone of strong schools - also a cornerstone of the founding of Steller. You can find the updated Breaking Ranks II report at: http://www.principals.org/
We hope you’ll find these thoughts about the “bigger picture” issues of a strong school, informative and thought provoking.
--Gary Steele
In the 70’s books like Future Shock and Mega Trends told us that in the future our culture – and indeed our world – would become less centrally organized. That local organization and decision making would become the focus, rather than large centralized bureaucracies. Well, the future is here, and you can read Dee Hock, Founder and President of Visa International talk about how his company did just that, and about how to manage from mission and purpose rather than top-down, command and control structures.
Then you might ask yourself : If we are to live into the Stelle(a)r mission of “…creating independent, courageous people capable of dealing with the shifting complexities of the modern world,” What kind of structures do we need to be modeling?
You may have heard Margaret Wheatley speak when the Foraker Group brought her to Anchorage a couple of years ago. Her article “Bringing Schools Back to Life” talks about the importance of shared mission and purpose in creating “living systems.” Most of our educational structures, she observes, are artificial systems because – like out district and neighborhood schools – they are based on geography rather than shared mission and values. Steller was founded on shared values. So read this and see if you don’t agree with our concern that if Steller is to continues as a “living” system – where people “weave together mutually sustaining relationships” rather than an “artificial” system, reaffirming the mission and core values is essential.
The excerpt from the book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community discusses the important role schools play in building community and how they are essential to developing “social capital.” Anyone who lived through both the ’64 earthquake and the pipeline boom here in Anchorage will resonant with what these researchers are saying about the the importance of social capital and what happens when it is lost.
They also report on the research that indicates that the best schools are ones in which parents take an active role in both the classroom and school governance. This is corroborated by the report release in 1996 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals: Breaking Ranks: Changing and American Institution. This report identifies collaborative decision making, including a school council, as a cornerstone of strong schools - also a cornerstone of the founding of Steller. You can find the updated Breaking Ranks II report at: http://www.principals.org/
We hope you’ll find these thoughts about the “bigger picture” issues of a strong school, informative and thought provoking.
--Gary Steele
Friday, January 19, 2007
Spreading the circle
How many people are interested in new emphasis on the open optional philosophy at Steller? We don't know where this initiative will end up, but we do know it won't be successful without members of our community pitching in.
The Renew Steller group came about when members of four families got talking and decided to meet on a Sunday afternoon. Over a few weeks, we worked out our ideas, creating the position paper we distributed widely. We met with more than 50 other community members in December and had a first chance to find out if our ideas resonated with others using dot voting.
This process is ready for a deeper, broader discussion. We have another meeting planned for Wednesday, January 31. We need ten facilitators and recorders to staff five small break-out groups. We're beyond what four families can do. We're beyond what four families should do. It's time for a larger circle of leaders of this initiative. We'll find out if change is coming at Steller when we see the strength and persistence of the leadership group interested in working on it.
Time to speak up.
The Renew Steller group came about when members of four families got talking and decided to meet on a Sunday afternoon. Over a few weeks, we worked out our ideas, creating the position paper we distributed widely. We met with more than 50 other community members in December and had a first chance to find out if our ideas resonated with others using dot voting.
This process is ready for a deeper, broader discussion. We have another meeting planned for Wednesday, January 31. We need ten facilitators and recorders to staff five small break-out groups. We're beyond what four families can do. We're beyond what four families should do. It's time for a larger circle of leaders of this initiative. We'll find out if change is coming at Steller when we see the strength and persistence of the leadership group interested in working on it.
Time to speak up.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Two Stellers?
Suppose (for the sake of discussion) that there are two populations at Steller, one that is really "into" progressive education and another that mostly just wants a small, friendly, but essentially traditional high school. The problem for the progressive crowd would be that their philosophy is excluded by a traditional, structured environment. They need a culture of experimentation and individualized learning, and that can only happen in an environment that is dedicated to those concepts. On the other hand, if a set of classrooms and teachers within the school were set aside as a progressive laboratory, trying new concepts and flexible scheduling, with individual study the mainstream practice rather than the exception, perhaps the two educational philosophies could coexist in the same building. A school-within-a-school at Steller might seem odd, but it would be one way to give every family what they want.
Bottom line, we can't build a community by fighting. But we can't get where we're going without changing. Where is the win-win solution?
Bottom line, we can't build a community by fighting. But we can't get where we're going without changing. Where is the win-win solution?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Other similar schools
Steller recently rejoined CES, the Coalition for Essential Schools. There is a new movement progressive schools are developing all over the United States, go to the CES website. Many of the comments I hear about what students and parents want from Steller are echoed by those starting Essential Schools. These schools incorporate many of the qualities that Stellerites hold most important, such as small size, independent learning, personal contact with staff, and "real life" experiences in the community.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Call on alumni for help
First, I would like to thank all of you who have started this forum. I can see the immense amount of work involved, and anticipate great things resulting from this effort.
Further, I am delighted that it is being done for the right reasons, by people who really care. Until I read this, I felt alone in my perception that some of the magic of Steller had somehow faded over the years. Worse, I felt like there may be little or no way for me to have any impact, or give something back.
Ideals are often compromised when reality is harsh, and todays Steller faces new challenges we alums never considered.
Luckily, Steller has always faced hurdles, from inception through the laundry list I read today. On our side is the fact that a big part of Steller has been our keen ability to pull together and improve.
After reading these materials, I agree that there are areas in which the Original Steller mission can be revitalized.
I think the core of "open optional" is the sense of community that allows this freedom to learn.
When I listen to students, and look at how my own child perceives Steller, I am left with one question: How can we revitalize that proud and magic sense of community Steller once shared?
While I was already a believer, I would like to share that my kid was at first quite hesitant to attend this school. This was due to preconcieved notions about Steller. Now that she is here, she loves it, but a negative image of Steller was widely shared through her elementary peers.
With this in mind, I think the image of the Steller community is best rooted in students while they are still in the feeder schools.
Of course freedom is the Steller sales hook, and central to the "open optional" approach. Considering that, perhaps we need to focus on the marketing of the Steller message.
In 1980, when I designed the Stellar school logo, I considered that it was not the wings of the Steller Jay which allowed it to soar. I made the head of the Jay central to the logo because the miracle of flight is truly found in the knowledge of how to use your wings.
This knowledge of course, comes from dedicated teachers.
Right now, there is huge talent found in the staff of Steller. Great commitment, vital ideas, superb technique and driven leadership are all evident.
However, the old saying that it takes a community to raise a child rings true to their education as well.
Perhaps the answers to todays challenges can be found in the braintrust. Our graduates are scattered, but their talents are many. Additionally, we have parents who did not attend Steller, but they have fantastic perspectives learned outside these walls.
Carl Guess, where are you buddy? Kurt Marsch? John Frost? Romney Dodd? Michelle Porter? The list of successful graduates is longer than my arm.
Steller would be well served to call on these Business owners, artists, media moguls, and non profit organizers. Within our family is wealth untapped.
I for one, would like to find a way to give back something to a place that offered me so much.
I look forward to finding my own way to help, and appreciate this forum as a catalyst for parents like me, who want the most for our kids, and the best for Steller.
While "open optional" may mean different things to different people, I think we can all agree that the concept cannot exist if we don't pull together.
Thanks again to those who care.
Kevin R. Tubbs, Class of 1980
Further, I am delighted that it is being done for the right reasons, by people who really care. Until I read this, I felt alone in my perception that some of the magic of Steller had somehow faded over the years. Worse, I felt like there may be little or no way for me to have any impact, or give something back.
Ideals are often compromised when reality is harsh, and todays Steller faces new challenges we alums never considered.
Luckily, Steller has always faced hurdles, from inception through the laundry list I read today. On our side is the fact that a big part of Steller has been our keen ability to pull together and improve.
After reading these materials, I agree that there are areas in which the Original Steller mission can be revitalized.
I think the core of "open optional" is the sense of community that allows this freedom to learn.
When I listen to students, and look at how my own child perceives Steller, I am left with one question: How can we revitalize that proud and magic sense of community Steller once shared?
While I was already a believer, I would like to share that my kid was at first quite hesitant to attend this school. This was due to preconcieved notions about Steller. Now that she is here, she loves it, but a negative image of Steller was widely shared through her elementary peers.
With this in mind, I think the image of the Steller community is best rooted in students while they are still in the feeder schools.
Of course freedom is the Steller sales hook, and central to the "open optional" approach. Considering that, perhaps we need to focus on the marketing of the Steller message.
In 1980, when I designed the Stellar school logo, I considered that it was not the wings of the Steller Jay which allowed it to soar. I made the head of the Jay central to the logo because the miracle of flight is truly found in the knowledge of how to use your wings.
This knowledge of course, comes from dedicated teachers.
Right now, there is huge talent found in the staff of Steller. Great commitment, vital ideas, superb technique and driven leadership are all evident.
However, the old saying that it takes a community to raise a child rings true to their education as well.
Perhaps the answers to todays challenges can be found in the braintrust. Our graduates are scattered, but their talents are many. Additionally, we have parents who did not attend Steller, but they have fantastic perspectives learned outside these walls.
Carl Guess, where are you buddy? Kurt Marsch? John Frost? Romney Dodd? Michelle Porter? The list of successful graduates is longer than my arm.
Steller would be well served to call on these Business owners, artists, media moguls, and non profit organizers. Within our family is wealth untapped.
I for one, would like to find a way to give back something to a place that offered me so much.
I look forward to finding my own way to help, and appreciate this forum as a catalyst for parents like me, who want the most for our kids, and the best for Steller.
While "open optional" may mean different things to different people, I think we can all agree that the concept cannot exist if we don't pull together.
Thanks again to those who care.
Kevin R. Tubbs, Class of 1980
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