tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87416819719847855592025-04-06T11:54:55.654-07:00Greater Seattle's Sudbury School, where kids ages 4-19 direct their own education in an environment of undiluted freedom and democracy.The Clearwater Schoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00488940870851053622noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-56496495422373060912015-05-27T12:25:00.000-07:002015-05-27T12:25:14.536-07:00

{Author's note; I wrote this for some people I know. I believe in them, and though I’m not very good at saying it, this is one of my attempts to do so. I hope they know who they are, and that they are totally rad. WARNING - POSSIBLE SQUICKS OR TRIGGERS WITHIN: Death mention, dysphoria mention, blood, brutality, hate crimes, murder.} Sepulchral Desire By Meghan Conken Mist

The Clearwater Schoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00488940870851053622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-23065699659974323792015-03-20T10:01:00.002-07:002015-03-20T10:01:32.900-07:00

Greetings, The Clearwater blog lives again, with a slightly different focus. Clearwater students have revived the blog to provide a place for their voices! It’s a place for students to post work they want to let other students, parents and the community at large see and absorb—their artwork, music, stories, photography and more. Clearwater students if you want to put something up, look to the

The Clearwater Schoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00488940870851053622noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-48430465496915007802014-03-21T17:16:00.002-07:002014-03-21T17:16:22.394-07:00

by Gabriel, age 16 Gabriel throws the (rule) book at Thad  If you talk to people who are unfamiliar with Sudbury schools about Clearwater, one of the things they often say is, “So the kids just get to do whatever they want?” While it is true that people are free to learn whatever they want, whenever they want, the presence of rules means it isn't very accurate to say that the kids get

The Clearwater Schoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00488940870851053622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-70362064421291659352014-03-06T17:35:00.004-08:002014-03-06T17:35:47.515-08:00

Mat -- such a vibrant guy! One question that arises repeatedly for Clearwater families is: How do we talk to others about this kind of education and why do we choose it? How do we talk about how our children are learning when the questions are put in terms of standards, testing, and curricula? Mat and TED's Excellent Conversations is a series of curated TED talks hosted at

The Clearwater Schoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00488940870851053622noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-27063983800019072112014-02-26T20:27:00.000-08:002014-02-26T20:27:38.248-08:00

This guest post by Tom Bohman, staff member at Clearview Sudbury School in Austin, Texas,  provides a fascinating case study of the judiciary process in action. This piece was originally published by Alt Ed Austin, a blog created and edited by Teri Sperry. All photos were part of the original post. Following the article is a comment by Mike South, a cogent articulation of the rationale

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-53986019588293378662014-02-04T18:19:00.000-08:002014-02-05T09:13:22.069-08:00

The Clearwater Winter Cafe is back on February 7 for its third year in a row. This year, the focus is on music. Music is a big part of life at Clearwater, due in part to our staff member, Matt "Rockstar" Garrity. Watching his patient, appreciative, enthusiastic joy with kids in the rehearsal room is inspiring. For a preview of what you'll see next week, check out this video. This is only the

The Clearwater Schoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00488940870851053622noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-60502848176344588662013-06-05T23:21:00.001-07:002013-06-05T23:24:06.124-07:00

by David Linder, Clearwater parent Warning, the following post includes language some people don't like--and stories of kids using such language. One rainy day on our way out the door, I heard my 10-year-old yell, "Shit!" from outside. I quickly went to look what happened. Turns out he had been balancing two boxes of Yu-Gi-Oh cards on top of a binder. It was raining and the boxes slipped and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-38459622834672237402013-05-15T16:14:00.000-07:002013-05-15T16:14:14.138-07:00

by Susan Milton, Clearwater parent   Barefoot Zoe with Jackie and Johnna One thing that makes me feel happy every time I arrive at The Clearwater School is that I don't have to put on shoes to go and find my kids, and that I often see at least one or two barefoot kids right away as I walk through the parking lot.    Maddy's walking feet Shoes are required at most

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-32443396016114819522013-05-10T12:49:00.000-07:002013-05-16T08:42:48.807-07:00

Scene from an early rehearsal For the first time in The Clearwater School's 17-year history, a group of Clearwater students is producing and offering public performances of a full-length play. You are cordially invited to attend a performance, scheduled between Thursday, May 30 and Sunday, June 2.  Screenwriter (Jesse) and supporting actress (Lily) interact while the cinematographer

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-76567861350630344012013-05-03T14:14:00.002-07:002013-05-04T01:00:13.151-07:00

It's time again for Whistlepig, The Clearwater School's fundraising festival of music, food and games. And this weekend...there WILL be sun and heat! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo or the fact that it's a gorgeous day and join us on Sunday, May 5, 1:00-5:00 pm. There will be wonderful performances by students and staff, homemade carnival games, great food and the most delicious baked good you can

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-30950355559762579212013-04-29T14:07:00.001-07:002013-04-29T14:07:22.304-07:00

At The Clearwater School, children are trusted with the freedom and responsibility to direct their own education. Without grades, groupings by age or mandatory tests, children engage wholeheartedly in their passions, and find their own standards of success. Students spend years setting and achieving their personal goals, becoming resourceful, self-confident and skilled adults with a commitment to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-10148912780831487932013-04-17T22:15:00.001-07:002013-04-17T22:20:52.269-07:00

by Shawna Lee photos by Matt Garrity In January, Clearwater staff member Matt Garrity, also a musician and 17th Chapter front man, heard from friend and music producer, Christian Hansen, that he needed two young people  to perform in a professional music video for the London-based duo, Still Corners. Matt offered to find a boy and girl from The Clearwater School to be in the video.&

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-14192370472175906152013-04-01T15:26:00.001-07:002013-04-01T15:26:57.219-07:00

The Clearwater School presents a free public presentation and discussion, "The Practice of Parenting: Trust, Spirituality and Raising Kids." The presentation will be Saturday, April 13, 2013, 6-8pm, at Two Dog Yoga, 12549 28th Ave NE, Seattle, in the Lake City neighborhood. In practices ranging from Christianity to Qigong, we work to stay present, are challenged to let go, strive to be

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-87706999638403674062013-03-29T14:17:00.000-07:002013-03-29T14:17:15.418-07:00

by Shawna Lee, Clearwater staff member Eighteen-year-old Emma is relatively new to The Clearwater School; she has attended since January 2012. Before that, she attended Woodinville High School. One day, in Emma's English class, her teacher talked about different educational philosophies, including Clearwater's Sudbury philosophy. [Her public school teacher was Christine Traxler, whose

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-34973947580479783312013-03-11T19:23:00.001-07:002013-03-11T19:26:45.291-07:00

by Matt Garrity, staff member Gregory demonstrates how to build a really tall tower during Clearwater's Play Group program. The part time program is designed for younger students and is a great introduction into the school environment.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-47046113623141654642013-03-11T15:27:00.006-07:002013-03-11T15:27:49.118-07:00

If you're curious--or know people who are curious--about how Clearwater students learn anything and become confident, capable and skilled adults when they are free to decide how to spend their time at school, Family Information Nights are for you. The Clearwater School has scheduled two Family Information Nights this spring. The first is this week: Wednesday, March 13, 2013,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-14941921154044139372013-03-05T15:22:00.001-08:002013-03-05T15:22:38.474-08:00

by Karen Hyams, Clearwater parent [photos taken at The Clearwater School] I’m the mom of a 17-year-old who has only taken two tests since first grade. When, at 15, he took a test to see if he could take freshman English at Cascadia College, I was as curious to see the results as he was; we had no past test-taking experience to compare. He might have done well, he might have done poorly-

The Clearwater Schoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00488940870851053622noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-58730256737197227242013-02-22T14:27:00.000-08:002013-02-25T15:59:23.264-08:00

by Bryan A couple of weeks ago I looked over Aidan's shoulder while he was reading The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. He read it in about three days, I think. Not long after that his sister Maddy was reading it, and Aidan had moved on to another book by the same author. And then a third. Always curious, I leafed through one of them, looking as I always do for some indication about whether the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-13143438357148549912013-02-15T12:05:00.001-08:002013-02-15T12:06:27.099-08:00

You are invited to attend this upcoming event. Please invite friends, neighbors and coworkers to attend. Parents who enroll their children at the Clearwater School in Bothell grapple with thorny issues by choosing a democratic school. Providing their children with the freedom to be responsible for their own learning can be a daunting endeavor. Parents will discuss issues such as unlimited

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-61304264876300046822013-02-11T12:04:00.003-08:002013-02-11T12:04:31.911-08:00

by Bryan Carr Clearwater's Salmon Restoration Marathon is underway!   Clearwater staff and students are working hard on a marathon of weeding, grounds-clearing, and landscape restoration.  Gabriel and Leo weeding and mulching Every day we go out armed with clippers and shovels (and protected by gloves!) to the big field behind the school, to pull and flatten grasses around

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-73575223031444683052013-02-01T16:00:00.001-08:002013-02-01T16:00:12.429-08:00

At The Clearwater School today students and staff were making final preparations for tomorrow's Winter Cafe (Saturday, February 2, 2013). Everyone was full of excitement and nervousness during the dress rehearsal, and lots of kinks were identified and worked out for the staging. More work, time and attention has gone into this student performance event than ever before. There is much to be proud

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-42551425568304081912013-01-26T21:41:00.001-08:002013-01-26T21:41:13.876-08:00

by Shawna Lee, staff member Every week for 30 minutes or more, between 10 and 20 students pitch in to pull thistle, blackberry and invasive reed canary grass from a large area of our campus along North Creek. Clearwater's School Meeting partnered with Snohomish County Surface Water Management and Clearwater Commons to restore and replant an area along the creek with native trees and shrubs. The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-32148142282292436672013-01-23T01:12:00.000-08:002013-01-25T15:57:54.651-08:00

by Shawna Lee, staff member The Clearwater School is celebrating Groundhog Day (February 2, 2012) by hosting the second annual Winter Cafe, an inspirational showcase of student solo and group performances. The showcase will be preceded by a potluck at 12:30pm, and performances begin at 2:00pm. Donations of $5 per person are requested for the performance. Everyone is welcome, but space is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-28178550987680821852013-01-18T15:35:00.001-08:002013-01-18T15:35:22.015-08:00

by Bryan Back at Clearwater after several days' absence, stressed out about lots of things, and not really sure I had the energy to be fully present at school, I was asked to sit in with a number of students practicing on their musical act. That was something I could do. There's nothing like jamming with other musicians, and by now the group is at a very exciting point -- musicians are sure

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741681971984785559.post-45238899769389227412013-01-13T23:26:00.001-08:002013-01-13T23:26:15.251-08:00

by Susan Milton, Clearwater parent Part I was published last week. As I was writing about some of the similarities between my own school experience growing up, and my kids' experience at Clearwater, I started to think about how both schools were opened in order to provide the community with an educational option that at the time was available at only a handful of schools around the country.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2