Scattergood Friends School
Encyclopedia
Scattergood Friends School educates students in grades nine through twelve. It is in Cedar County, Iowa
, two miles (3 km) east and one half mile south of the town of West Branch
. Founded in 1890 by Iowa Wilburite Quakers
to provide a "guarded education" for their own children, it is owned and operated by Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative
). In recent years about a third of students and staff have been Quakers, with the rest coming from many faiths.
Scattergood offers a college preparatory curriculum. It is accredited by the Iowa Department of Education
and by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). In addition to academic achievement, the Scattergood program emphasizes community life, responsible world citizenship, and meaningful work shared by all.
Although there are a handful of day students each year, nearly all students stay in one of the 60 dormitory beds on campus. Likewise, most of the 25 faculty and staff live in on-campus apartments. Available housing limits the size of the school, resulting in small class sizes and a family atmosphere.
Teaching and learning at Scattergood take place in many settings beyond the classroom. The campus includes a pond/marsh, a prairie
, and a farm with a variety of livestock and 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) of organic vegetable production
.
Everyone at Scattergood participates in a work program, called the crew system. This includes everything from working on the farm to making breakfast for the school. There are no janitors at Scattergood; all cleaning on campus is done by students and staff. Work assignments rotate monthly.
Roughly a quarter of Scattergood students come from outside the United States. Former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
, who was overthrown as a result of popular protest, is a Scattergood graduate.
Humanities:
Foreign Languages
Physical Education
Project
8th Block Trips
During 8th block all juniors and seniors leave campus for a month-long trip. The trips usually involve community service or physical challenge. The option to take a student-planned "independent trip" is also available. Past 8th-block trips have included:
Cedar County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 13,956 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,064 housing units, of which 7,511 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, two miles (3 km) east and one half mile south of the town of West Branch
West Branch, Iowa
West Branch is a city in Cedar and Johnson counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,342 as of July 2009, a 7% growth since the 2000 census...
. Founded in 1890 by Iowa Wilburite Quakers
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
to provide a "guarded education" for their own children, it is owned and operated by Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative
Conservative Friends
Conservative Friends refers to members of a certain branch of the Religious Society of Friends . In the United States of America Conservative Friends belong to three Yearly Meetings—Iowa Yearly Meeting , North Carolina Yearly Meeting , and Ohio Yearly Meeting...
). In recent years about a third of students and staff have been Quakers, with the rest coming from many faiths.
Scattergood offers a college preparatory curriculum. It is accredited by the Iowa Department of Education
Iowa Department of Education
The Iowa Department of Education sets the standards for all public institutions of education and accredits private as well as public schools. It is headquartered in Des Moines....
and by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). In addition to academic achievement, the Scattergood program emphasizes community life, responsible world citizenship, and meaningful work shared by all.
Although there are a handful of day students each year, nearly all students stay in one of the 60 dormitory beds on campus. Likewise, most of the 25 faculty and staff live in on-campus apartments. Available housing limits the size of the school, resulting in small class sizes and a family atmosphere.
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
, and a farm with a variety of livestock and 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) of organic vegetable production
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
.
Everyone at Scattergood participates in a work program, called the crew system. This includes everything from working on the farm to making breakfast for the school. There are no janitors at Scattergood; all cleaning on campus is done by students and staff. Work assignments rotate monthly.
Roughly a quarter of Scattergood students come from outside the United States. Former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada y Sánchez de Bustamante , familiarly known as "Goni", is a Bolivian politician, businessman, and former President of Bolivia. A lifelong member of the Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario , he is credited for using "shock therapy", the economic theory championed by then...
, who was overthrown as a result of popular protest, is a Scattergood graduate.
Some Classes Recently Offered at Scattergood
Math and Sciences- Chemistry
- Biology/ Advanced Biology
- Algebra 1 & 2
- Geometry
- Precalculus
- Calculus
Humanities:
- History of the English LanguageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- LogicLogicIn philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
- Utopian Societies
- Messianic Archetypes in Film and Literature
- Art of Tibetan Religion and Culture
- Quakerism
- Taoism
- Creative Writing
Foreign Languages
- SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
- Arabic
- French
Physical Education
- Soccer
- FencingFencingFencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
- ArcheryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
- Roller HockeyRoller hockeyRoller Hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using skates with wheels. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skate used. There is traditional "Roller Hockey," played with quad roller skates, and...
- Bicycle Training
- Ultimate FrisbeeUltimate (sport)Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...
- YogaYogaYoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
- ArcheryArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
- Basketball
Project
- CeramicsCeramics (art)In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
- GlassblowingGlassblowingGlassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, or parison, with the aid of a blowpipe, or blow tube...
- Bow Making
- JugglingJugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
- Stained GlassStained glassThe term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
- Elizabethan RapierRapierA rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
- Electronic musicElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
- Food Preservation
- Drama
- Painting
- Poultry Project
- Farm Project
8th Block Trips
During 8th block all juniors and seniors leave campus for a month-long trip. The trips usually involve community service or physical challenge. The option to take a student-planned "independent trip" is also available. Past 8th-block trips have included:
- Bike Trip (from Natchez Mississippi back to Scattergood)
- Latin America Trip
- East Coast Trip
- Gulf Coast Trip
Recommended Reading
- Berquist, Robert, et al., Scattergood Friends School, 1890-1990
- Luick-Thrames, Michael. Out of Hitler's Reach: The Scattergood Hostel For European Refugees, 1939-1943