The meeting school
Encyclopedia
The Meeting School is a co-ed boarding school
for grades 9-12 based on the practices and principals of the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers). It is located in Rindge, New Hampshire
, USA on a working organic farm with 142 acre (0.57465412 km²) of field and forest.
TMS prepares students with life skills
as well as academic knowledge. 30-35 students participate in small classes, community living, growing food, and caring for farm animals
. Students are engaged, at a highly empowered level, in community decision making.
The school depends on each individual to accept responsibility for his or her own growth, and to participate fully in the life of the community. The emphasis is to acknowledge and nurture the unique worth and insight of each person in the community and to co-exist with compassion and harmony in daily living, learning and decision making. The underlying philosophy is to undertake joyful living with emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual integrity.
Like most Quaker communities, the school and community promotes simplicity, honesty, mutual trust and respect, the dignity of physical labor, care for each other and the earth and the peaceful response to conflict. They believe they are called to seek and to live with divine guidance both individually and collectively.
By providing this kind of nurturing background for secondary students, the hope is that community members will eventually enter into the wider world and contribute profoundly to the lives of others and strive to exemplify a deep sense of compassion and justice.
office of the American Friends Service Committee
. Joel Hayden, with his wife Ruth, had been a professor at Antioch College
in Ohio
, while Robert Hindmarsh, with his wife Thera, was an agronomist who advised farmers in Deerfield, Massachusetts
. They settled on two converted farmsteads, land that had been farmed since 1771, and opened their doors to students in the fall of 1957.
The Meeting School does not use grades, but a pass/fail system of credit with detailed written evaluations.
Classes are organized around the traditional academic subjects of math, writing and literature, social studies and history, sciences, and the arts. Within these subjects, however, teachers and students work together to approach learning in ways that are creative, relevant, authentic, and hands-on.
Classes, which meet in faculty living rooms, range from 5 to 10 students. Class meetings are informal with opportunities for all voices to be heard. Projects and choices give students the chance to take ownership of the subjects they study. Teachers are committed to flexibility around different learning styles, paces and goals. Teachers and students value the chance to make personal connections and relationships a part of learning.
Classes at the school also include electives based heavily around the necessary work of the farm, or around outdoor skills and experiences. Some students use class blocks for mentorships with faculty who specialize in farm work, cooking, or repair work.
The curriculum also emphasizes social justice applications.
Students are encouraged to think about ways to decrease their ecological footprint.
Self-exploration and healthy life skills are also taught at the school; all students must take Health and Sexuality as well as Peace Studies.
Working with animals and the land, and growing and raising much of the actual food that is eaten, is an unrelentingly honest and authentic experience. Students learn very practical skills, work as team members, and enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for grades 9-12 based on the practices and principals of the Religious Society of Friends
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...
(Quakers). It is located in Rindge, New Hampshire
Rindge, New Hampshire
Rindge is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,014 at the 2010 census. Rindge is home to Franklin Pierce University, the Cathedral of the Pines, and part of Annett State Forest.-Native American inhabitants:...
, USA on a working organic farm with 142 acre (0.57465412 km²) of field and forest.
TMS prepares students with life skills
Life skills
Life skills are problem solving behaviors used appropriately and responsibly in the management of personal affairs. They are a set of human skills acquired via teaching or direct experience that are used to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily human life...
as well as academic knowledge. 30-35 students participate in small classes, community living, growing food, and caring for farm animals
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
. Students are engaged, at a highly empowered level, in community decision making.
Philosophy and purpose
The Meeting School is a community-based school where students live together with faculty on a farm. It emphasizes the principles and practices of the Religious Society of Friends.The school depends on each individual to accept responsibility for his or her own growth, and to participate fully in the life of the community. The emphasis is to acknowledge and nurture the unique worth and insight of each person in the community and to co-exist with compassion and harmony in daily living, learning and decision making. The underlying philosophy is to undertake joyful living with emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual integrity.
Like most Quaker communities, the school and community promotes simplicity, honesty, mutual trust and respect, the dignity of physical labor, care for each other and the earth and the peaceful response to conflict. They believe they are called to seek and to live with divine guidance both individually and collectively.
By providing this kind of nurturing background for secondary students, the hope is that community members will eventually enter into the wider world and contribute profoundly to the lives of others and strive to exemplify a deep sense of compassion and justice.
History of the school
In 1955 a group of Quaker educators found a shared concern, envisioning a school that would educate the whole person, where Quakerism could be a way of life, and where students could become inner directed rather than outer directed. Consulting with other Quaker groups throughout 1956 and ’57, and traveling through Europe and the United States to become familiar with innovative schools and colleges, three families came together in Rindge, and began their experiment. George Bliss, with his wife Helen, had taught at the Westtown Quaker boarding school, and was then executive secretary of the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
office of the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
. Joel Hayden, with his wife Ruth, had been a professor at Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, while Robert Hindmarsh, with his wife Thera, was an agronomist who advised farmers in Deerfield, Massachusetts
Deerfield, Massachusetts
Deerfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,750 as of the 2000 census. Deerfield is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area in Western Massachusetts, lying only north of the city of Springfield.Deerfield includes the...
. They settled on two converted farmsteads, land that had been farmed since 1771, and opened their doors to students in the fall of 1957.
Academic program
The Meeting School year runs on the semester system, with the Intersession block falling between the Winter and Spring terms.The Meeting School does not use grades, but a pass/fail system of credit with detailed written evaluations.
Classes are organized around the traditional academic subjects of math, writing and literature, social studies and history, sciences, and the arts. Within these subjects, however, teachers and students work together to approach learning in ways that are creative, relevant, authentic, and hands-on.
Classes, which meet in faculty living rooms, range from 5 to 10 students. Class meetings are informal with opportunities for all voices to be heard. Projects and choices give students the chance to take ownership of the subjects they study. Teachers are committed to flexibility around different learning styles, paces and goals. Teachers and students value the chance to make personal connections and relationships a part of learning.
Classes at the school also include electives based heavily around the necessary work of the farm, or around outdoor skills and experiences. Some students use class blocks for mentorships with faculty who specialize in farm work, cooking, or repair work.
The curriculum also emphasizes social justice applications.
Students are encouraged to think about ways to decrease their ecological footprint.
Self-exploration and healthy life skills are also taught at the school; all students must take Health and Sexuality as well as Peace Studies.
Farm program
The Meeting School farm is a cornerstone of the experiential learning at the school. Based on the principles of ecological stewardship and sustainable living, working and living on the farm offers an avenue to educate young people about land care and food production.Working with animals and the land, and growing and raising much of the actual food that is eaten, is an unrelentingly honest and authentic experience. Students learn very practical skills, work as team members, and enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor.