by Lily Jordan | Apr 13, 2020 | Stories
Coronavirus. Quarantine. Social isolation. This time has been difficult, to say the least, but I’m proud that I’ve been more or less using this time to catch up on education, spend time with family, and get a much needed mental health break. Don’t get me wrong. I have...
by Molly Rahe-Randall | Mar 23, 2020 | Parenting, Stories
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. How many times have you heard this? How many times have you been able to make lemonade? What we are experiencing right now in the world is something we will always remember. One moment our children are going to school. The...
by Lily Compton | Mar 2, 2020 | Uncategorized
I’m Lily C, and I am the chair and founder of Cool Things Outside Corporation. [“Corporations” at The Circle School are like clubs or interest groups. -Editor] I created this corporation four years ago, when the school was still at its old campus. I wanted to...
by Beth Stone | May 15, 2019 | Ideas, Stories
Even now, after 35 years as a founding staff member, I half dread being asked by a newcomer to explain The Circle School. It could be a neighbor, the friend of a friend, or recently my dental hygienist just before she asked me to open wide. My anxiety arises not from...
by Cheyenne Malarz | Mar 13, 2019 | Daily life, Stories
2019My aunt and uncle are so cute! I was at the kitchen sink dying my hair, while they ate dinner at the kitchen table. He was holding a fork near her mouth, trying to get her to try the chicken parmesan he had made. She doesn’t need to be fed; he was just being...
by Jim Rietmulder | Feb 8, 2018 | Ideas, Play, Public policy
Last week I traveled to Philadelphia to hear a talk by research psychologist Peter Gray, founder of the Alliance for Self-Directed Education. Dr Gray spoke at Philly Free School, which is, like The Circle School, a self-directed democratic school. Dr Gray starts from...
by Julia James | Sep 27, 2016 | Meadow Campus
We did it! Today, with builder Pyramid Construction’s vehicles and earth-movers in the background, Circle Schoolers ranging in age from 5 to 50+ (and then some) donned hardhats, picked up golden shovels, and broke ground on The Circle School’s new home....
by Ann Sipe | May 10, 2016 | Daily life, Stories
I’ve gone on many field trips this year, but week before last was the first time I went on a “field trip” without leaving the campus. It was in the school’s backyard, with ten students ages eight to fourteen, and two staff members. Planning began in...
by Beth Stone | Mar 2, 2016 | Uncategorized
Last week I went on a school field trip. Unlike the majority of field trips this year, the planning for this trip didn’t unfold over the course of a few hours or days. This trip was weeks in the planning. Also, unlike most other trips this year, which have been within...
by JD Stillwater | Oct 14, 2015 | Uncategorized
I am inspired to write a bit about the noble, humble Circle School rag. Rags at The Circle School get used for everything from sanitizing doorknobs to soothing minor burns. They are implements of routine cleaning, but then they are also sporting goods (for Capture The...
