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Alumni Profile
Zach Weimar
Zach Weimar, SRV class of 2000, is currently attending Friends Central School
I first started at The School in Rose Valley in the preschool because my mother loved the idea that students could be studying momentum and sledding at the same time. She wanted me to learn and she knew that this was a school where I would learn and have fun in the process. In fact, when I applied to middle school, the next step after SRV, I was asked to list my favorite courses. I was supposed to say one or two, I think. I ended up listing all of the courses I was taking including each of the specials (art, music, woodshop) and said what I liked about each of them.
Before SRV I had had no other school experiences. My first day, I fell in love with the kind teachers and the open arms with which my class of less than 15 boys and girls accepted me. Each year was different and even better than the year before, and each year I had fun learning.
The atmosphere at SRV is unique in that it encourages hands-on learning and an open-mindedness about other people. Each time I return to reunions, May Fair, or any of its other traditions, I feel welcome even though the faces include some whom I haven't yet met.
At SRV our learning was not confined to the classroom. It took place on the playing field, in the woods, along the creek, and sometimes in the snow. We read a lot as a group and for pleasure. The opportunity to write plays and perform at Hedgerow Theatre was a regular occurrence. At that time I thought that everyone put on at least one Shakespeare play a year and got to adapt their role and their lines if they thought it would enhance the production!
You could move along at your own pace in all of the subjects. I remember being moved with a few others so that we could do even more accelerated work in math and would feel challenged. Sometimes we would even work through recess for the thrill of finishing a math problem, and for me, recess wasn't something to miss. Every day everyone had the option of participating in the all school games. I played all the time and loved it.
We also participated in many long-term projects. For example, in sixth grade my class decided that we wanted to leave the school with a present and thought it would be fun to build a tree house that would be there for others who followed us to enjoy. We knew that this was our project. Mike Nowell (woodshop), John Justice (maintenance), Lisa Morenoff (teacher) and Vicki Shelter (assistant teacher) were our resource people. We were encouraged to figure out what we wanted to do, think together about the choices that this involved, and revise our plans when necessary. We were enthusiastic about the idea and worked with Mike and John who helped us to identify the materials we would need. We used our math skills to figure out how much this was going to cost and called around to different lumber yards to see who would provide the best deal. Being sixth graders, our collective savings added up to only twenty dollars. Lisa and Vicki sat down and helped us think about what our options were, and then they helped us to design and make a cookie business so that we could raise the money we needed to buy our materials. They also supported us to do the necessary collaboration on measurement and construction so that we could complete the tree house that stands at the end of the field.
When I got to middle school at Friends Central, I was able to go in and adjust to the new environment pretty easily. I felt prepared for the curriculum that I needed to fit into, but more importantly perhaps, I had confidence in my abilities to: think through the problems I encountered, explain my ideas to other people, have different ideas from other people, and ask my teachers for help. Without question, my SRV experience is an integral part of who I am. I think that education should be about having fun and learning. I only wish that all children were as lucky as I have been in this respect.
