Warren
County charter school ready for year No.
2
Facility tries to eliminate kids'
'public-school personas.'
Sunday, August 21, 2005 • By KAT MAIN • The
Express-Times
FRELINGHUYSEN TWP. -- Donna Best said she
gets goose bumps when she thinks about how much she saw
eighth-grade students grow after just one year of enrollment
at the Ridge and Valley Charter School.
The board of trustee member said the
changes meant so much because everyone at the new school was
uncertain as to how they would coax children who were so
indoctrinated by public schools to think and explore on
their own.
But by the time the children took a
backpacking trip at the end of the year, they'd shed their
"public-school personas," Best said. Some had become leaders
and all were looking and feeling strong, she
said.
"It's sweet stuff," she said.
These kinds of changes are exactly the
goal of the schools' educators.
"We want to make them eager to learn and
ask questions. We want them to think for themselves," Best
said.
The first of its kind in Warren County,
the charter school occupied three separate locations before
settling in February in its current location.
Using a combination of Montessori and
Waldorf approaches, the curriculum focuses on finding the
deeper meaning and integrating school subjects through
project-based activities.
"We want to make the educational
experience more like real life," said Traci Pannullo,
director of curriculum.
The program places students in
kindergarten through eighth grade together in classrooms
based on similar ages and interests. With children working
with others of all ages including adults, they learn how to
listen and communicate better with others, Pannullo
said.
"Everybody here has something to learn,
even adults," she said.
In 2004, enrollment was at 90 students.
The school will start this year with 105 students. Class
size is between 12 and 17 students per class, Pannullo
said.
One-third of enrollees come from the
North Warren Regional School District's sending townships of
Blairstown, Hardwick, Frelinghuysen and Knowlton, said Nanci
Dvorsky, administrative coordinator.
The rest of the kids come from nearly 30
different districts, Dvorsky said.
Enrollment at the Ridge and Valley
Charter School is open to all students in the state on a
space-available basis with priority given to students living
in the four-town sending district.
At maximum capacity, the school will
accommodate 134 students. Applications are still being
accepted, Best said.
A new six-week program starts in
September, offering classes in weaving, photography,
sculpting, gardening and acting. Students will choose their
course of study and two students per class can be enrolled
at a time.
Also new this year, the school features
nine new solar panels that work to create the facility's
electricity.
Best said they are also working on
obtaining a grant that would allow for programs bringing art
and nature together called "perma-culture."
"It's working with the environment to
create beautiful living spaces while doing the least amount
of damage to the environment," she said.
They'd also like to have more workshops
with parents and student-led learning activities.
"We've all got something to learn from
each other," Pannullo said.
As with all charter schools, Ridge and
Valley meets New Jersey's core curriculum content standards
and administers state standardized tests -- but grades are
not given. Instead, report cards that tell the story of a
child's development are given rather than letter grades like
A, B, or C.
New Jersey's Fiscal Year 2006 budget
appropriated $20,058,000 for charter school
education.
In September, 51 charter schools will be
serving roughly 14,900 students statewide, according to the
state Department of Education.
Reporter Kat Main can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by
e-mail at kmain@express-times.com.
© 2005 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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