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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1982)
JUST FOUR MORE DAYS TO SEE \Vrr,, ;,v’v.v,v.w v $$ 1 HI : ' Thra^Dimerisional Lgser Images Floating in Space! Admission now HALF-PRICE ; Adults $1 • Children under 16 A Senior Citizens 50c Chddran undar 6 FftEE wttan accompanrad by adult • 11:30-6:00 Friday* 11 304 00 Saturdays 9:30-9 00 Sunday* Noon-6 00 ■iccnthe court • • For additional information caM 342-8150 SALAD BAR GREEKS AND DORM RESIDENTS WELCOME BACK! Call Wally Kempe & Assoc.'s for all your party picture needs 344-6750 John Dutton, Manager DOWNHILL RENTALS Includes skis, boots, poles, Salomon bindings with brake $5 per day CROSS COUNTRY RENTALS Includes skis, boots, poles $5 per day Ask about our ski bus to Hoodoo on weekends!! 13th & Lawrence ~ vv A - m w .* «* *' Tracy Miller is just one of the 100 area children getting an alternative education at Arrowhead School A grade school alternative School emphasizes creativity and progressive learning Teachers and students sitting crosslegged around a wood-burning stove sing folksongs They welcome a two-day old goat into the warm room Sadie-Margaret. one of two felines, strolls lazily across the room and eyes everything with half-closed eyes Just another day at Arrowhead School, a unique alternative school located six miles past Santa Clara Set among apple orchards and rustic bams, the small school building appears peaceful However, an electrifying excitement sparks within Each classroom's atmosphere radiates enthusiasm, with the students taking learning very seriously "Around here the big deal is to be in charge of the Coke machine and keeping track of the money," says Principal Mary Buckner But the curriculum at this institution doesn't foilow the standard readin , writin' and rithmatic of most schools The Arrowhead administration emphasizes creativity arid progressive learning \ through a structured curriculum that includes languages performing arts and equine studies The school begins at preschool level and continues through ninth grade, but there are no specific age groups — only learning levels The 100-student enrollment limit encourages a more intimate interaction between Arrowhead's seven teachers and students Teaching styles here are not new, Buckner says She started the school in 1963 and modeled her teaching techniques on the Montessori method which encourages individualized teaching of young children without ; emphasis on age Arrowhead is concerned with developing strong bodies as well as minds as this physical education class demonstrates Included in the curriculum are performing arts and equine studies With an elementary education degree and Montessori training in London, in addition to some public school teaching, Buckner claims she created a school that brings students to their highest abilities She has statistics to support her statement For example, Buckner says Arrowhead students score from one to three years above grade level on standardized tests But she likes to think that the classroom activities are more impressive than good test results “The biggest difference of Arrowhead from other schools is that kids don’t laugh at you if you don’t know something and ask and make a mistake.” "The thing we accomplish here is that we let the kids walk — they will never be held back," Buckner explains "They are ready for new things all the time, and they are getting them " Inside the pre-school classroom, two and three-year-olds make letter sounds as a teacher holds flashcards Nearby, a larger more complicated teaching aid explains the stages of pregnancy and fetal growth Buckner cites small classes for Arrowhead's success Staff members, she explains become familiar with each student's strengths and weaknesses, enabling them to teach more effectively "I taught eight years in the public school and this is different In every way possible," says Jeannie Peterson, whose charges range from five to seven years old I feel now I'm teaching I don't know what I was doing before But I couldn't be creative Here there's the freedom to be yourself — not just me but also the kids." Like the staff many of the students have attended public schools prior to coming to Arrowhead "I had a problem in the public schools — it wasn t going well," says twelve-year old Micki Story by Julie Kurilo Photos by Bob Baker kinko's copies »t- if servic e • computerized Xerox • reduction • 2 sided copies • binding • lamination 344-7894 4# 764 E. 13th <£1^, CHINA BLUE RESTAURANT BUDDHA’S FEAST $5.55 Most famous Chinese vegetable dish. Black Mushrooms, Bean Curd Sheet, Black Wood Ear and many, many more in Special Sauce. China Blue 879 E. 13th Ave. 343-2832 Hours Mon thru Fri 11 am-10 pm Sat 5-11 pm Sun 5-10 pm Exotic Tropical Marine Fish Reptiles ill ' A FREE GOLDFISH Tke Lillie Ocean Good thru 1/17/82 I! Little Omt iX. 1920 Franklin Blvd. Specials 687-0682 Dyer 'When I got here they gave me a test and found out I needed a year later book — I was just held back there." Many students said the attitude in every classroom was more advantageous than the fast progress they were allowed to make or the individual attention they received daily from their instructors. "The biggest difference of Arrowhead from other schools is that kids don’t laugh at you if you don't know something and ask or make a mistake,” explains Hannah Mclver, who is in the final 12-14 age level of Arrowhead Many of Arrowhead s students are considered gifted, such as seven-year-old Ben Kimball who can handle 7th and 8th grade level reading and math Buckner doesn't really know if the kids were gifted to begin with or whether the Arrowhead experience perpetuated it Some Arrowhead parents hope the school will cure their children's learning and disciplinary vices, Buckner says, adding that Arrowhead has few discipline problems. "Two months ago we got a 13-year-old who had a record of absence from the public school He hadn’t gone hardly at all," she says. Since his arrival, ’’he hasn’t missed a day " Monthly tuition ranges from $110 for pre-schoolers to $190 for others Despite the high figures, students from all economic backgrounds attend, says Buckner Staff members agree that a public school position would be more economically rewarding But it would be a real sacrifice for me to go back," says Judy Eritt instructor of the four to five age group "I’ve never seen kids happier The school emphasizes individualized instruction. Here Gabrial Buckner gets a little personal attention from her mother Mary, the principal of the school.
