The building that houses the Big Picture School will have one more tenant come next fall: the Juniper School./ Photo by Jennaye Derge

Branching out

Juniper elementary charter school opens enrollment for 2015-16

Local elementary schoolchildren and their parents will have one more option when it comes to learning.

The Juniper School, a free, public charter elementary school, aims to open its doors for the 2015-16 school year in August. Still awaiting approval of its charter from Durango School District 9-R, the school began its enrollment Feb. 18. There are 150 spots for students in kindergarten through fifth-grade, and as of Tuesday, nearly 70 applications had already been submitted. If more than 150 apply by the March 11 deadline, a lottery will be held for spots at the school.

For now, the school will be located on the first floor of the Big Picture School, on 12th Street and E. Second Ave. The Juniper Schools Board’s President Tammy Fraley said the hope is to ultimately secure a spot for a bigger school with a playground.

“It’s for anybody interested in an active, diverse, authentic learning environment,” Fraley said of the school’s mission.

The school and it supporters attended a 9-R school board meeting Tuesday night, to let the 9-R board know of the community’s interest and desire for the school. It was hoped that the school would be recommended for charter approval that night as well, but since the snow day on Monday, that deadline has been postponed.

Fraley said a public meeting with the school board will be held Tues., March 10, with a vote on the charter possibly as soon as the board’s March 24 meeting.

The school and its board decided to pursue a charter with district 9-R, which recently re-attained its authority to approve charters. Animas High and Mountain Middle were approved through the statewide accreditation organization, Charter School Institute. Fraley said the hope is by having 9-R more involved, it will foster a greater sense of community. “We want it to be a community school, open to all, with diverse families and a diverse community,” she said. “But we will still have our board and own authority.”

The school will emphasize hands-on, project-based learning, said board member Robin Richardson. In addition, there will be smaller class size, with one teacher to every 12 students, and intermingling between age groups. Juniper will also emphasize environmental education and conflict resolution, said Richardson, who taught at a charter startup in Ventura, Calif., before coming to Durango.

The mother of two boys, 3 and 7, said she became interested in educational alternatives when her older son began struggling in school. Eventually, she pulled him out and now home schools him. “He definitely wasn’t happy in that learning environment,” she said. “When I heard an elementary charter school was starting, I wanted to be part of it.”

Richardson said the school decided on the name “Juniper,” because of the native tree’s symbolism. “I grows from a small seed to a large, blossoming tree,” she said.

Similarly, it is hoped children who may not be thriving in their current learning situations may also blossom. “It’s really a child-centered school where kids will be listened to and have a voice,” she said. “It’s going to be beautiful.”

For more on the Juniper School, go to www.juniperschool.com or email thejuniperschool@gmail.com.