By Jeff Bacon
First-year principal Christine Fonner has her hands full running the county’s only free, public charter school, Syringa Mountain School, in Hailey. While the school boasts nearly 150 students this year, which marks its highest enrollment ever, it’s the education of the general public that Christine is most concerned about.
“For many years now, Syringa Mountain School has had high aspirations in regards to the programs it offers for children in grades K-6,” Christine noted during a recent interview. “Unfortunately, those weren’t always actualized aspirations and we’re finding ourselves at a bit of a crossroads in regards to the public’s perception of the school versus the actual programs that are running well.”
Christine’s background has included stints in the largest school districts in the country, New York and Los Angeles, and corporate management positions.
“When people hear I’ve worked for some of the largest school districts in the country, they usually ask what the biggest differences are in regards to school culture,” Christine adds. “Regardless of class size, the size of the community or the number of programs a district offers, there is always one truth that trumps them all: good teaching is good teaching. It’s imperative that we give our teachers the best environment possible to put their good teaching to work.”
Syringa Mountain School touts that it uses the Core Principles of Public Waldorf Education, which incorporates sustainable living practices and experiential learning into a student’s day-to-day curriculum.
“One of the great things about a Waldorf school is its ability to access a student’s best process for learning,” Christine notes. “Whether you learn better through visual, physical, oral or any number of other ways, a Waldorf school’s approach to the way a student learns will help the teacher better guide that student through the day’s lesson plan. Also, by incorporating an outdoor or nature-based program in our lessons, we are teaching our kids to be aware of their connection with nature on a fundamental level.”
And as the county’s only free, public charter school, Syringa Mountain School has unique challenges when it comes to the way each school year is funded.
“We work with some very generous donors to help raise monies for the programs we offer, but that only gets us so far,” Christine explains. “A big part of our annual budget is raised through the events we hold and our biggest is the Harvest Gala Fundraiser on Oct. 14. We’re excited to be able to offer a great dinner with live music, a DJ and an auction with some great prizes.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Syringa Mountain School or their Harvest Gala Fundraiser, visit their website at www.SyringaMountainSchool.org.
Jeff Bacon is The Chamber’s membership director. For more information, visit www.haileyidaho.com or call The Chamber at (208) 788-3484.