This August, a unique kind of elementary school is opening its doors for in Cana, Virginia.
Holler Creek School offers an ecology-based system of learning and focuses on the history and environment of the Appalachian Mountains. Students will do the majority of learning outdoors, with a 300-square-foot tractor barn acting as an indoor classroom when they might need to be indoors.
Teachers Aaron Sebens and his wife Melanie Schrage first decided that they wanted to move to Cana and start a school in early 2020. The family routinely visited the land that Sebens’ parents own in the area and thought it would be perfect for a change of pace from the city life in Durham. Sebens, who grew up in Carroll County, Virginia, is a fourth grade teacher while Schrage is a speech-language pathologist, both teach at Central Park School for Children; a charter school in Durham.
“About a year ago, right before the pandemic started, my wife and I were hiking up on the mountain. We had thought about moving up to the mountains and starting our own school. We wanted to move there and start a school to connect with and give back to the community. I wanted to give my kids an opportunity to grow up in the mountains and give them a different kind of life than they’ve had so far,” Sebens said of his two children.
For the first few years of operations, Sebens’ goal is to have 16 students, in first through fifth grade, enrolled at the school. At least seven families have submitted applications and participated in tours so far. Based on ages, the 16 students will be split into two classes of eight for main academics. Sebens will teach one class while Schrage will teach the other. Both classes will come together daily for a morning meeting.
“A big part of elementary education these days is a big focus on social and emotional learning, and how to develop a community, be part of a community. The morning meeting is the time that students connect with everyone in their community, we’ll have this every day as a whole school. In my 17 years of teaching I’ve seen that it makes a huge difference in connecting. Community time helps them make connections with people in their classroom when they wouldn’t otherwise do so,” Sebens said.
For parents worried about the transition back into the Carroll County public school system after students graduate, Sebens assured that it will be an easy transition. Holler Creek School uses the state standards of learning, so there should be no trouble when transferring graduates to outside school systems.
Students do school work from home on Fridays, with remote calls provided to children who need them. Every third Friday is a field work day where the whole school will travel to a location in the region that they study. Each field day will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., partly acting as a form of assessment for students to see what they have learned about the area. Planned field trip locations include Stone Mountain, Pilot Mountain and Fairy Stone Park in Virginia.
”I’ve noticed that kids learn the most when they’re the most engaged and they’re the most engaged when they learn about where they are. If you are teaching them about the place they are and to ask questions about where they are, they are gonna feel connected to that place and learn wherever they go,” Sebens said.
According to Sebens, there are no eminent plans to expand the school with older classes of students, although Sebens did note that there would be potential for expansion if the school does well in the first few years of operation.
“A good part about middle school is the extracirricular activities like sports and clubs, and we can’t do that. That’s why we think this age group is the best. I think it will be life changing for them and their family,” Sebens said. “Academically we think students will make more growth than they would in a traditional school. They’re getting more individualized attention. Our whole goal is to develop writers and scientists to contribute to our community.”
For information on enrolling or making donations, please visit www.hollercreek.org.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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