Puget Sound Community School
Puget Sound Community School (PSCS) is a small independent, secular middle and high school in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1994 by Andy Smallman and his wife Melinda Shaw.
Puget Sound Community School | |
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Location | |
Coordinates | 47°35′47″N 122°19′27″W |
Information | |
School type | 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Private |
Established | 1994 |
Founders | Andy Smallman, Melinda Shaw |
Teaching staff | 9 |
Grades | 6–12 |
Enrollment | 52 |
Website | pscs |
PSCS has a progressive educational program. Students are required to be involved in school activities for a minimum of 1,000 hours per year. In order to graduate, a student must be at least 16 years old, have been enrolled at PSCS for at least three full years, and complete other requirements specific to her or his final year, such as completing a graduation project, or presenting a personal statement of belief to the community.
Daniel Pink's 2009 book Drive compares PSCS to Sudbury Valley School and Dennis Littky's Big Picture School, saying, "This tiny independent school in Seattle, Washington, gives its students a radical dose of autonomy, turning the 'one size fits all' approach of conventional schools on its head. Each student has an adviser who acts as her personal coach, helping her come up with her own learning goals."[1][2]
PSCS is known for its focus on human wholeness, specifically kindness. In 2009, the Seattle Times featured the school in its article "Kindness Taught in Seattle School’s Online Class." [3]
The New York Times featured PSCS in a 2017 article about non-binary youth.[4]
Notes
- "Idea of the Day: Kindness Class". Daniel H Pink. January 3, 2010
- Pink, Daniel H. (2009), Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us, Riverhead Books, p. 194, ISBN 9781594488849
- "Kindness taught in Seattle school’s online class" The Seattle Times. December 27, 2009
- "When a Student Says, ‘I’m Not a Boy or a Girl’" The New York Times. October 24, 2017
References
- "Independent Puget Sound Community School frees kids to choose own paths" by Deborah Bach from Seattle Post Intelligencer, November 22, 2005
- "Kindness taught in Seattle school's online class" by Linda Shaw from Seattle Times, December 27, 2009
- "When a Student Says, ‘I’m Not a Boy or a Girl’" by Zoe Greenberg from New York Times, October 24, 2017