Stonesoup School

StoneSoup School was an alternative private school located in Crescent City, Florida in the United States. It was a member of the National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools.[1]

StoneSoup School
Location
Crescent City, Florida
Information
TypePrivate, Alternative
MottoQua Liberi Exsisto
Established1971
FounderSue Buie, David Gluckman, Linton Hutchinson, Rainbow Williams
DirectorConsensus (no director)
ChaplainFrank Beeman
GradesPreK-12
Number of students30
Color(s)Aqua and White
SportsFencing, Backgammon
MascotConan
TuitionSliding Scale
Websiteweb.archive.org/web/20081216012326/http://www.stonesoupschool.org/

Overview

StoneSoup School[2] is a small alternative school based on Summerhill School, numbering around 30 students in the Pre-K through 12 grade. It is located on 66 acres (270,000 m2) in Crescent City Florida.[3]

History

StoneSoup School, first called the 'Alternative School', was founded in 1971, and grew out of the Saturday School project started by Sue Buie, Annette Chioma, and Rainbow Williams. The school met at 1304 Richmond Road in Winter Park, Florida and soon moved to Dee Vicker's old Victorian house during the summer of 1969. The school grew quickly and tried using Seminole county school facilities but found the community at large was suited better than four walls of a classroom.

The school was based on Summerhill School, a democratic school[4] founded by A.S. Neill in 1921 in England. As education in America headed towards more testing to exams and accountability, Stonesoup marched the other way. Linton Hutchinson provided an integration of current learning theory, drawing upon Carl Rogers, Jean Houston, John Lilly, humanistic psychology, information from Jane Roberts and alternative education models. Archie Patterson Buie Jr.,[5] who was trying to change the educational system from within, (elected Seminole County School Board Member), became disenchanted with the slowness of the process and joined StoneSoup bringing transformational practices being explored at Esalen Institute. Psychodrama, autogenics, and hypnosis became staples of the StoneSoup process.

The school continued to grow as it moved to a full-time live-in school in Crescent City, Florida.

Grades and classes

The school was designed without grades or levels. Classes were based on student and staff interests. Attendance was determined by student choice with a narrative report generated at the end of the class collectively by students and staff.

Evaluation of students

StoneSoup did not administer standardized tests or grades. Instead, staff and students generate a narrative evaluation at the end of the class.[6] Equivalent "letter grades" in subject areas provided to facilitate the student's transition to universities and colleges.

References
  1. National Coalition of Alternative Community Schools Archived August 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. New Schools Exchange Newsletter (1971) "Supplement to the Directory", ERIC, p.21 ED053056
  3. StoneSoup School Setting
  4. Democratic school#United States of America
  5. Archie Patterson Buie Jr.
  6. Stonesoup School website Archived December 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

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