Youth Initiative High School

A Waldorf Initiative – Viroqua, Wisconsin

Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

Three-Year Development Plan 
 

Contents 

1.  Cover Letter

2.  Statement of Core Values

3.  Pedagogical Development

      3.a. Curriculum Overview

4.  Business Development

5.  Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

6.  Board of Trustees

7.  Leadership, Administration, and Community Development

8.  Facilities and Environment 
 

 

Youth Initiative High School

A Waldorf Initiative

500 E Jefferson 302     Viroqua WI 54665 USA

phone: 608-637-6445   yihs@mwt.net

web page: www.yihs.net 
 
 

January 19, 2007

Viroqua, Wisconsin 

Greetings from the Youth Initiative! 

The Youth Initiative High School is pleased to present this Three-Year Development Plan to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.  As you will see, there are many unique aspects of our school and we are proud to have the chance to share some of what we have been doing with the wider Waldorf movement.  The Youth Initiative was founded in the fall of 1996, and we are thus celebrating our tenth anniversary as an independent Waldorf high school.  YIHS was created when a group of former students of Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School, also located here in Viroqua, Wisconsin, came to together with parents and teachers to establish a separate high school based on Waldorf principles to serve our rural community.  The unusual location and genesis of the school has endowed YIHS with some of its most distinctive characteristics.   

First, we are a rural school, located in a town of about 4,000 people, with close ties to the land and to the local farming community.  We are also a small school, with an enrollment of about 50 students today, and smallness constitutes an important part of our identity as a school.  Second, we are an independent, stand-alone high school.  Although we are located next door to Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School and many of our families and faculty are involved with both schools, YIHS is a separate entity with its own Board, governance practices, and school culture.  Finally, as its name suggests, Youth Initiative has established and maintained a large role for students in the governance and support of the school, alongside parents and faculty.  Students serve as full voting members of the Board and of other standing school committees.  Students have full voting powers in Board elections and in other issues presented at the annual All-School meeting.  Students are also responsible for cleaning the school building and for raising a substantial piece of the school’s annual budget, this year amounting to $10,000, and augmented by several matching grants.  These unique characteristics help to make YIHS an exciting place to work and study and we hope that our experience can be of service to other communities working to establish Waldorf high schools. 

The process that led to the creation of this Three-Year Development Plan reflects the character of YIHS.  Most of the work of thinking, writing, and editing was done by members of the Long Range Planning Committee, a standing school committee consisting of three parents, three faculty members, and three students.  The student members were elected by their peers and two of the adult members were also members of the Board.  In its work, the committee used the questions included in the AWSNA membership handbook as a guide, but since our school is already 10 years old, most of the following “plan” is really a description of what YIHS is already doing.  In each section, the committee has tried to identify areas for improvement and growth and we look forward to working with AWSNA to develop these goals further.  The final draft of this plan has been reviewed and endorsed by the YIHS Board. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at jacob@yihs.net or at (608) 637-6445. 

Sincerely yours,

Jacob Hundt

YIHS Alumnus, Faculty Member, and Long Range Planning Committee Chair  

2. Youth Initiative High School: Core Values 

1. YIHS affirms the intrinsic dignity and importance of each individual human being.  Every person is entitled to respect, care, and consideration for personal needs, feelings, opinions, and interests. 

2. YIHS aims to educate the whole human being, as defined by the Waldorf concept of “head, heart, and hands” or “thinking, feeling, and willing.”  Activities directed towards the development of each of these three parts of the human being should ideally be a part of each class session, of each main lesson block or path class, and of the curriculum as a whole.  None of these three is given a higher or lower priority than the others, nor are students who exhibit notable skill in any one of these three areas praised more highly than students with skills in the other areas. 

3.  Every human being is capable of becoming an autonomous, self-directing moral actor.  The goal of education at YIHS is to foster development in this direction. 

4. Youth Initiative High School values hard work, responsible behavior, and community connectedness, combined with spiritual growth and personal development in an age appropriate manner. YIHS also places a high value on the qualities of initiative, critical thought, self-motivation, and foresight on the part of students, teachers, and other community members. 

5.  Everyone with a stake in the school, including teachers, parents, and students, must be given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in school governance, either directly or through formally designated representatives.  This principle flows directly from the intrinsic dignity of the human being affirmed in item #1.  YIHS also considers student participation in school governance to be a central part of its curriculum.  

6.  The successful YIHS student is one who fully and consciously commits to participation in the life of the school, including both academics and school governance.  YIHS will work for as long as necessary with any student for whom this commitment, as expressed in words and actions, remains in effect. 

7. YIHS places a high value on transparency where it is appropriate, especially in the areas of finance and policy making. 

8.  YIHS is a part of a wider community and world.  The ultimate end of education at YIHS is to improve the world by fostering the development of courageous, conscientious, and effective individuals. 
 

 

3. Pedagogical Development:

Curriculum and Program Planning and Implementation 

1. How do you envision enrollment in the grades in next three years? 

In the past 4 years the Youth Initiative High School has grown from about 40 students to nearly 55.  Through discussions among the faculty and with the school community, we have identified 15 students as a maximum ideal class size.  Currently, our largest grade has 15 students and the smallest has 11, both of which lie comfortably within our ideal range.  In the next three years, we do envision some increase in enrollment based on larger class sizes at Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School and growing interest in our school in the community and beyond.  However, growth in class sizes approaching 20 students per grade could force us to restructure our schedule and governance structures in significant ways.   

The subject of school size is a topic of active study and discussion among all parts of the school community and at the 2006 All-School Meeting, the Board was charged with developing a plan for creative growth in the near future.  In one step intended to maintain intimate relationships among and between students and faculty as the school grows, the Faculty has established a system of four “Houses” during the 2006-2007 academic year.  Each “House” includes about 13 students of mixed ages and a Faculty leader.  The Houses meet over lunch on a monthly basis to discuss issues dealing with school governance, academics, and social life.  The Faculty House leader serves as a formal mentor for the students in his or her House.  In the next three year, YIHS hopes to develop this new system and to incorporate it more completely into the daily life of the school. 

2. What subject lessons will be taught, and by whom? 

See attached curriculum overview (Section 3.a.) 

3. Length of school day? 

The school day lasts from 8:20am until 3:00pm (6 hours and 40 minutes).  This schedule is largely fixed by the reliance of some of our students on public school buses for transportation. 

4. What are plans for extended day/extracurricular activities? 

The school building is open to students until at least 5 pm on most school days and many students take advantage of this time to work on homework, art projects, or fundraising activities and to socialize.  Some students also participate on school committees after school.  YIHS students also have a variety of options for formal extracurricular activities, including athletic cooperatives with local public and private schools, forensics and extracurricular drama, and quiz bowl.  Aspects of student governance, especially meetings and fundraising activities, also occupy a significant amount of many students’ time outside of class.  All students in the school are required to complete a minimum of six hours per month of community service, which does include service to the school. 
 

   5. How will you determine your curriculum goals?

6. How will you go about creating a spirit of collaborative curriculum development?

7. How will you determine what curriculum materials you will use in the grades and which curriculum areas you will emphasize? 

The primary work of planning and organizing the curriculum at YIHS is done by the Long Range Planning/Curriculum Committee.  Members of this committee include representatives of the faculty, administration, students, and parents.  There are two representatives of the Board of Trustees on this committee.  The committee solicits ideas and proposals from members of the community, especially the faculty and students, and works to incorporate these ideas into the schedule for the coming academic year.  In the past, most of the work of this committee has been done in the months February-April, although its organization has recently been formalized and it now plans to meet throughout the school year. 

The Faculty also regularly discusses the goals and structure of the curriculum at its regular bi-weekly meetings and at meetings of the various academic departments.  The results of these discussions are then conveyed to the Long Range Planning/Curriculum Committee, to the Board, or to the Administrative Group by Faculty members of these bodies.  The Faculty has responsibility for setting requirements for graduation/advancement, for the grading system, and for establishing other academic policies and procedures. 

Within the classroom, YIHS teachers have broad freedom to select curriculum materials and activities and to choose which curriculum areas to emphasize.  Teachers generally collaborate with members of their academic department and with other teachers/administration to plan their classes and integrate them into the curriculum as a whole.  The teachers of the English and Mathematics path (track) classes work especially closely with their departments to ensure smooth organization of these critical skills-oriented areas of the curriculum. 

8. How will your cultural and community festivities reflect a growing school? 

The YIHS academic year is framed by two symbolically significant events.  Each school year begins with a week-long camping trip to Devil’s Lake State Park in central Wisconsin during the week before Labor Day.  All students are strongly encouraged to attend.  Students and participating faculty, parents, and alumni engage in outdoor activities such as rock climbing, canoeing, swimming, bicycling, sports, and trust building exercises.  The students also form teams to plan, prepare, and clean-up after meals.  As an orientation for new and returning students, the highlight of this week is the reading and discussion of the school’s Vision and Purpose Statement, accompanied by campfire conversations about the philosophy and future of the school. 

At the end of each school year, the culminating events take the form of the performances of the spring play and graduation, both of which are well attending by many members of the wider local community.  These events generally take place during the same weekend in late May/early June and are our school’s most important public events.  The graduation ceremony usually includes a period of time set aside for members of the community to speak  about the graduates and to reflect upon the year. 

During the school year, YIHS has developed a variety of events/festivities, often associated with fundraising activities, which are looked to with great anticipation.  These include formal meals for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, a shorter fall drama production in October or November, and a presentation of senior projects in late April.  The Student Body also organizes a series of concerts/open mic sessions called “Coffeehouses” during the year that serve as student fundraisers and as cultural events in their own right. In many years, the school has held a holiday potluck during school on the last day before the winter break.   

The academic year is punctuated by two unique weeks during with regular classes are not held, both in the spring semester.  One of these is a Theme Week, dedicated to a different topic of set of activities each year, and the other is Service Week, during which student go out into the community to help with a variety of activities ranging from roadside clean-up, to performances at senior-citizen centers, to eradication of invasive plants.  Finally, in early May of each year, many members of the school community, including students, parents, and faculty, participate in the annual All-School Meeting, wielding the highest decision making authority in the school.  All participants vote in elections for the Board of Trustees and on amendments to the By-Laws and Vision and Purpose Statements and discuss issues related to the future of the school.  

 

3.a. Curriculum Overview 

There are three distinctly different types of classes at the Youth Initiative High School:  1) Main Lesson Blocks, which meet for two hours every day for a period of 3 to 6 weeks, 2) Path Classes, which meet for about 1 hour one, two, three times per week throughout the academic year, usually subdivided into semesters, and 3) Movement and Art Blocks, which meet for one or two hours, respectively, twice a week for a 6- to 9-week quarter. 

The subjects covered by Path Classes include English, Mathematics, Foreign Languages, Social Studies, Life Skills, and occasionally Science.  In English Path Classes and most Main Lessons students are divided on the basis of grade level, while in the other classes there exists some degree of elective choice and/or division on the basis of ability or experience.  As a result, a large proportion of YIHS classes have students of mixed ages, a situation that students, parents, and faculty at YIHS have come to value for the opportunities it provides for older students to mentor and collaborate with younger students. 

For a school of its size, YIHS employs a large and exceedingly diverse faculty, most of whom work on a part time basis.  This helps the school to realize the Waldorf ideal of the high school teacher who has passion and expertise in the field, as well as building strong bonds between the school and many members of broader community.  The diversity of YIHS faculty, as well as the active role played by students and other community members in decision making processes, demands a great deal of flexibility within the curriculum.  YIHS encourages its faculty to engage in a large degree of creativity and experimentation in the design of classes. Thus, the picture of the curriculum presented here is, to a certain degree, simply a snapshot of the present moment, although certain elements with strong connections to the Waldorf model have remained constant throughout the school’s 10-year history. 
 

HUMANITIES

English:

• Path Classes for students at each grade level, focusing on interpretation and appreciation of major works of world literature, creative writing, grammar, essay writing, and vocabulary building.  Meets three times per week.
• One or two Literature Main Lesson Blocks in each grade:
• 9^th Grade:   Comedy and Tragedy
• 10^th Grade:  Poetry and/or Dystopian Literature: Brave New World/1984
• 11^th Grade:  Parzival
• 12^th Grade:  Transcendentalism and/or Modern Russian/European Literature

 

History:

• Typically, two or three Main Lesson Blocks in each grade, focusing on World History, American/Western Hemisphere History, and thematic history.  Recently World History blocks have been occasionally combined with thematic history or literature blocks to form interdisciplinary main lessons of 5- to 6-weeks.
• 9^th Grade:  History of Revolutions, US History to 1900
• 10^th Grade:  Ancient and Medieval History, History through Art, Native American History to 1500
• 11^th Grade:  World History-Renaissance to 1900, History through Technology/Inventions, History of the Americas 1500-present.
• 12^th Grade: World History-1900-present, US History-1900-present

 
 

Social Studies:

• World Religions Main Lesson Blocks in each grade, usually with combined-grades.  Students participate in a four-year comparative religions cycle that includes beliefs, practices, scriptures, and contemporary manifestations of the great world religions.
• Social Studies Path Classes.  Elective, mixed-age classes which meet twice a week.  All students are required to take a semester course on US government during their time at YIHS.  Other Social Studies path classes are different from semester to semester, but have included topics as diverse as anthropology, sociology, philosophy, interpersonal relationships, journalism, comparative world governments, socialism, and Middle East history, politics, and culture.  Many of these courses include writing a formal research paper as a core activity.
• Weekly Current Events sessions.  Students and a faculty member discuss the events in the news each Friday.

 

Foreign Languages:

• Foreign Language Path Classes meet three times per week.  Students may elect to study one or two languages and are assigned to a class on the basis of ability by the teacher.
• Languages offered:  Spanish, French, and German.  Latin has also been offered recently. 
• Recent Independent Studies:  Irish Gaelic, Japanese, Advanced French, German, and Spanish, English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Foreign Exchange/Travel.  Language Study at YIHS is strongly supported by a well developed foreign exchange relationship with the Freie Waldorfschule Chiemgau in Prien, Germany and by a biannual service and language study trip for Spanish students in the 11^th and 12^th grades to various communities in Guatemala with longstanding ties to the Viroqua area.  In the past year, there has also been a student exchange with the École Rudolf Steiner in Lyon, France.

 

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

Mathematics:

• Math Path Classes:  Math Path Classes meet three times per week and have recently been reorganized from a division according to grade level to a division according to interest and ability.  Students are now initially placed in a class on the basis of an evaluative test and then have the option of proceeding at their own pace.  Students are encouraged to repeat class levels if necessary, but also have the opportunity to work at an accelerated pace towards more advanced levels of math, including calculus, if they have that interest.  It is the goal of the YIHS Math Faculty for all students to complete the equivalent of the Algebra II curriculum by the time they graduate. Class sessions are organized to give each student half an hour of direct instruction and half an hour of in-class work time, at times in collaboration with a student tutor.  Class sizes are kept very small to provide as much one-on-one instruction as possible.  There are currently 8 separate classes.
• Mathematics Main Lessons:  There are currently two regular mathematics main lesson blocks:
• 9th Grade:  Drafting (applied Geometry)
• 10^th Grade:  Statistics and Probability

Natural Sciences:

• Most science classes are taught as main lesson blocks, although YIHS is currently planning to move some science into path classes, most notably the 12^th grade class on astronomy and cosmology.  Typically, students will have four science classes each year, one each in Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Earth Sciences.  A significant amount of Biological and Environmental science is also covered in the Foods and Nutrition and Agriculture classes, discussed below under “Life Skills.” YIHS has recently hired a 2/3 times “Science Chair” Faculty member to help plan and coordinate the natural science curriculum as a whole.  The Science Faculty foresees an increasing degree of integration among the natural sciences, as well as increased cooperation with other unique organizations and science resources in our local community, including the conservation groups, the Organic Valley Family of Farms, and the sustainable agriculture community more broadly.

 

• Life Sciences:
• 9^th Grade:    Human Anatomy
• 10^th Grade:  Zoology
• 11^th Grade:  Botany
• 12^th Grade:  Genetics and Biochemistry
• Earth Science:
• 9^th Grade:  Geology and Geography
• 10^th Grade:  Water Cycle/Ecology
• 11^th Grade:  Meteorology
• 12^th Grade:  Astronomy and Cosmology
• Chemistry
• 9^th Grade:  Carbon Cycle
• 10^th Grade:  Acid/Base
• 11^th Grade:  Periodic Table
• 12^th Grade:  Biochemistry
• Physics
• 9^th Grade:  Heat
• 10^th Grade:  Mechanics
• 11^th Grade:  Electricity
• 12^th Grade:  Nuclear/Modern Physics

 

FINE ARTS

Fine Arts Blocks: 

• Dedicated fine arts classes are offered as electives on a quarterly basis.  All students are required to be enrolled in an art class, chosen from four or five possible options at the beginning of each 6-9 week quarter.  Students also frequently choose to do independent study art classes.  Art classes meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions.  Our local community is fortunate to have many excellent artists, many of whom have taught in recent years.  Some recent art blocks have included:
• Visual/Plastic Arts:  watercolor painting, oil painting, screen printing, block printing, jewelry making, enameling, sculpture, pottery, photography, stained glass, and drawing.  All new students are required to take an introductory drawing class during their first year.
• Music:  Singing.  YIHS plans to develop a more comprehensive music program, including opportunities for instrumental music, in the next three years.
• Drama/Performance:  circus arts, drama/forensics
• Independent Studies:  Advanced Photography, Creative Writing, Film Making, Urban Street Art, Guitar, Cello, Horsemanship, Ethnic Cooking, Dance, Sewing, Webpage Design, the Art of Soccer.

 

Spring Drama Production: 

• The Spring Play has been an important part of the annual YIHS calendar since the school was founded.  Today, a majority of the students in the school participate as actors, set builders, costume designers, musicians, lighting and sound technicians, publicists, and assistant directors.  Work on the play usually begins as an extra-curricular activity early in the spring semester and students have the option of dedicating the last two weeks of the academic year to working on the play as an elective main lesson block.

 

Extracurricular Activities:

• Drama/Forensics:  In addition to the spring play, students also have the option of participating in extracurricular drama during the Fall.  In the past YIHS students have performed award-winning one-act plays in the Wisconsin state forensics competition and staged dinner theater performances for the school community.
• Music:  Many YIHS students participate in extracurricular music activities, including rock bands, jug bands, folk music groups, private music lessons, and “the Ridgetones,” an eclectic adult choir based in the local community.  YIHS student bands often perform at student fundraisers and other community events.

 

LIFE SKILLS

Foods and Nutrition:

• Food and cooking has an important place in the YIHS curriculum and in the life of our agriculturally-based local community.  Students participate in three-week long Foods and Nutrition main lesson blocks during the 9^th, 11^th, and 12^th grades.  Students study food preservation, artful presentation, basic nutritional biology and chemistry, agricultural ecology, and a wide variety of cooking skills.  These skills, in turn, play an important role in several YIHS fundraising and service activities, including an annual Valentine’s Day Dinner and Mother’s Day Brunch.

 

Agriculture and Manual Skills:

• Agriculture Elective Block: At the end of each academic year, students may choose to participate in an intensive two-week elective main lesson block on agriculture.  During this class students visit a variety of local farms and businesses, participate in designing and planting a school garden, and make an extended field trip to the Michael Fields biodynamic research center in East Troy, Wisconsin or to a Tillers International agricultural education farm in Minnesota.
• Carpentry Block: In the 10^th grade, all students participate in a three-week practical carpentry main lesson block, ideally structured around a specific school-improvement project.
• Architecture/Building Elective Block: At the end of each academic year, students may choose to participate in an intensive two-week elective main lesson block on architecture and construction.  This course combines a historical and theoretical survey of world architecture with hands-on experiences with local carpenters and builders.

 
 

Physical Education and Sports:

• Physical Education Electives:  At the beginning of each quarter, students may choose from among three physical education electives.  Choices generally include spatial dynamics, yoga, and team sports.  Stilt walking, dance, and martial arts have also been offered or will be offered in the coming year.  Phy ed classes meet twice a week for 1 hour sessions.
• Sports:  YIHS students have the option of participating in some sports coops with other local public and private schools, most notably in soccer, hockey, basketball, and baseball.  YIHS has established an ad hoc committee to study ways to expand these opportunities and/or to organize our own sports teams.

 

Theme Week:

• Each year, the students work with a parent coordinator to design a week of special classes and activities around a particular theme chosen by the students.  Theme week happens during the spring semester and all regular classes are suspended during that period.  Past theme weeks have included Folk Arts, Circus!, Radio, and Survival Skills.

 

Community Service

• Service Hours:  Each student is expected to complete a minimum of six hours of community service each month.  These hours may be spent doing service to the school itself, in the form of fundraising, committee work, improving the school facilities, etc., or to the wider community.  Students are responsible for reporting their own service hours to the school administration.
• Service Week:  For one week during the spring semester, regular classes are suspended and students participate in a variety of service projects in the local community.  These activities help YIHS to build stronger ties with other organizations in our local community, as well as helping prepare students for lives of service.

 

Personal Skills:

• Life Skills Classes:  For one hour each week students participate in Life Skills sessions dealing with a broad array of issues including career planning, sexuality, drugs and substance abuse, financial education, school governance, interpersonal communication and conflict resolution, and law enforcement.  Discussions are guided by the Life Skills teacher and there are frequent guest speakers.  The subject matter of the Life Skills classes is highly flexible and dependent on input and interest from the students, parents, and faculty.

 

School Governance, Fundraising, and Cleaning: 

• Participation in school governance forms an integral part of the YIHS curriculum.  All students are expected to take an active role in the organization and maintenance of the school.  Students participate in weekly meetings of the Student Body and are encouraged to take part in the annual All-School Meeting, at which at-large members of the Board of Trustees are elected, changes to the school By-laws and Vision and Purpose Statements are debated and approved, and other major issues are discussed.  Students are fully enfranchised members of the YIHS corporation and members of the Student Body serve as full members of key decision making bodies within the school, including the Board, the Personnel Committee, and the Long Range Planning Committee.  In keeping with these unique rights, YIHS students also bear unique responsibilities within the organization.  These include a significant student fundraising goal in the annual budget and the task of cleaning the school building at the end of each school day.

 

Test Prep and College Counseling:

• ACT/SAT Test Prep:  Although time-limited multiple-choice tests are not a significant part of the school curriculum, YIHS offers students opportunities to prepare for the SAT and ACT standardized college entrance exams, either in evening classes or during the weekly “Life Skills” class sessions.  Students in grades 9-11 also have the opportunity of taking the PSAT free of charge each year.
• College Counseling:  YIHS offers students a variety of services to help with selecting and applying to college and other post-graduation opportunities.  Students participate in week long class trips to visit colleges and universities throughout the Midwest in the spring of their Junior year and the fall of their Senior year.  Students also receive instruction in preparing a resume/CV, in compiling a portfolio of school work, and in applying for various forms of financial aid during the weekly Life Skills sessions.

 

Senior Project:

• During their 12^th grade year, YIHS students design and complete a major project of some kind.  The scope of the Senior Project has intentionally been left largely undefined, but past senior projects have generally focused on some important improvement to the school’s infrastructure, on a significant artistic project or performance, or on a service project within the wider community.  All senior projects are presented to the public during an open house each May.

 

Apprenticeships/Internships:

• 12^th Grade students have the option of replacing one of their main lesson blocks or art blocks with an apprenticeship/internship within the local community.  YIHS has established a network of partner businesses, organizations, and individuals willing to participate in this program.  Recent examples include of apprenticeship choices include the local hospital, a carpentry crew, a veterinary clinic, and the local newspaper.

 
 
 

 

4. Business Development: Financial and legal responsibilities 

1. Prepare a 3-year projected budget for school growth, stating how projected deficits or surpluses will be managed.

 

Our 3-year projected budget projects no significant surpluses or deficits. 

 
 

2. What are your income streams and are they sufficient to support growth over the next 3 years?

 

Our income stream is divided into two major areas: Fundraising (31%) and tuition/pledges/fees income (69%). We have a part-time development office with a development coordinator who oversees the overall fundraising activities of the school. Fundraising activities include grant writing, donations solicitation, public relations including press releases, newsletters, email campaigns, direct mail solicitations; parent fundraisers including fundraising dinners, holiday fairs; student fundraising including production and sales, childcare, auctions, coffeehouses, food preparation, etc.; and a student fundraising matching grant program. Fundraising activity is solid with excellent involvement among staff, parents and students. Tuition/pledge/fees income has been solid with 100% fulfillment in recent years and is maintainable at the levels projected for the next 3 years. 

3. Do you have a transparent, healthy, and sound way to handle the school’s finances? Describe it.

 

The school’s finances are handled by our school administrator in conjunction with the school’s treasurer who provides oversight and awareness of the school’s finances. The school’s administrator prepares financial reports stating Profit and Loss including financial analysis of fundraising activities, and Balance Sheet information on a monthly basis to the Board of Trustees which includes faculty, parents and students representatives. An active Finance Committee prepares the budget for each upcoming year. On an annual basis the budget and actual spending comparisons as well as the projected budget for the following school year are presented both to the Board of Trustees and the Annual All School Meeting.  

4. What is your salary and benefit plan over the next 3 years?

 

Our salaries for full-time staff/teachers are on level with other regional or comparable Waldorf schools with a base pay of $25K plus1% increase for years taught at YIHS and medical benefit allowance. Part-time teacher pay ($25 - $26.25) is under review with the goal to bring it to $30/hour. Office personal pay is $13.13/hour. Benefit plan is under review with the goal to include medical and pension allowances for full-time and part-time teachers/staff. 

5. How will you insure that there is outside professional review or audit of the school’s finances on a regular basis?

 

Presently we have an outside tax preparation professional review our bookkeeping, p/l reports, balance sheets and asset statements annually and file the annual IRS form 990 (Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code). Once our income from donation reaches the state mandated level to have an independent professional audit performed, we will do so on an annual basis. 

6. How will you ensure sufficient enrollment to support growth?

 

The bulk of our students are graduating students from Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School which is located next door to us. We will continue to strive to be able to offer excellent and unique education to students in the area which will sustain the modest growth in enrollment (10% annually) we are anticipating for the next 3 years. 

7. Please prepare preliminary policies and procedures for the following areas:
1. Student acceptance and dismissal

 

Enrollment Procedures. To enroll at the Youth Initiative High School, the following steps re to be taken: (1) Visit of the Youth Initiative High School for an initial visit, and tour of the facilities. (2) Scheduling of a day visit and attending classes at the Youth Initiative High School. (3) Picking up or requesting the enrollment packet. (4) Filling out the forms provided in the enrollment packet, and submitting the forms and the application fee to the school. Note: The Youth Initiative High School will only admit students who are at least 14 years old by September 1st of the academic year they wish to enroll or who have completed 8th Grade. Mid-Year Admissions. The Youth Initiative High School will not admit new students later than April 1st of any academic year.  The annual Camping Trip is the preferred time for a new student to enter the school. The YIHS admissions group guides students and families through the admissions process. Denial of admission needs the approval by the board of trustees. (YIHS policies. YIHS Handbook) 

Student Enrollment and Dismissal:  Members of the Care Groups will make recommendations to the Faculty and Board of Trustees concerning student enrollment and dismissal. Denial of admittance or expulsion must have the approval of the Board of Trustees. (YIHS policies/Vision and Purpose Statement. YIHS Handbook) Note: This segment is under review with the goal of clarifying policies and procedures regarding dismissal. 

2. Faculty and staff hiring and firing

 

      Faculty/Staff Hiring and Dismissal: The Personnel Committee will be composed of three members chosen by the Student Body, two members chosen by the Parents Committee, two members chosen by the Faculty Committee, and the School Coordinator. In addition, the Personnel Committee shall appoint an at-large member from the larger community. All members (except at-large member) must be a member of the Youth Initiative Corporation (as defined by the Bylaws) at the time of their appointment. All members – except for the School Coordinator, who is appointed in perpetuity – will be appointed for one-year terms. If a committee member resigns, his or her respective committee or body will choose a replacement to serve the remainder of the term. The Personnel Committee will be responsible for hiring and firing faculty and other staff members. They shall, with the assistance of students and parents, evaluate the performance of faculty members on a regular basis. Meetings of the Committee are closed to non-members, however the Committee may choose to, and is encouraged to, accept public comments on issues of personnel. The Committee will record minutes and publicly post those portions of the minutes that do not expose confidential or sensitive issues discussed during the meeting.

      Parent and faculty members whose respective peers feel that their membership should be discontinued will also be asked to leave the committee.  The Parent and Faculty Committees will set the standards in their own committees to decide when a personnel committee member's involvement is in question and when they are asked to leave.  If a member is asked to leave the committee, they cannot return until the next school year. Voting: Students vote and are fully involved in all issues of hiring, policy and procedure.  Issues pertaining to criticisms of faculty and staff will involve everyone during discussions.  However students may be asked to leave the discussion if there is consensus minus 1 among all non-student members to do so.  Students will not vote on firing decisions.  In the event that a vote to fire a staff member is unavoidable, that staff person will be given the option to resign.  The personnel committee will seek consensus but will revert to super majority if a vote must be taken.  Super majority means one more "Yes" vote than a simple majority is required for a voting item to pass.  (For example; if  4-3 is a simple majority, 5-2 is a super majority.)  If no super majority can be reached, the issue will be sent to the Board of Directors for resolution. Appeal:  Decisions concerning the termination of a teacher or staff contract by the Committee can be appealed.  An appeal must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors within 10 days of notification of the termination. (YIHS Vision and Purpose Statement. YIHS Handbook) 
 
 
 
 

3. Tuition setting and tuition assistance plans

 

The YIHS finance committee reviews the tuition setting on an annual basis as part of the budget creation process. 

Tuition Guidelines. The cost of education at the Youth Initiative High School for the school year is approximately $4500 per student per school year. We do not have a minimum tuition, but we use a pledge system. The fees are: $25 application fee due with the application (new students only); $150 registration fee (new students and returning students); $350 supplies fee (new students and returning students). In addition to the fees a pledge for payments towards the cost of education has to be made on an individual basis. The pledge may be less or more than the cost of education. All pledges need the approval of the finance committee of the YIHS. (YIHS Policies. YIHS Handbook) 

4. Parent grievance

 

We do not have formal parent grievance policies or procedures, but the following practice is being observed. Parents who have grievances are encouraged to speak to the school administrator or to any committee member including members of the board of trustees. Parents might be asked to state their grievance in writing. The school administrator (or a committee member) will take the grievance to the appropriate person, group or committee for discussion and follow through including necessary steps to improve the policies, procedures or behavior. The school administrator (or committee member) reports back verbally (or preferably) in writing about the steps taken concerning the grievance to the parent concerned. 

5. Student discipline

 

“Everyone at YIHS recognizes the need for discipline in personal and school life. We recognize three levels of discipline: The highest level of discipline is self discipline as we seek to honor the preceding Guidelines for our personal growth and the growth of YIHS. When self discipline fails we seek support and guidance from our peers as we strive to achieve better self discipline.  Thus peer discipline is the second level of discipline.  When self discipline and peer discipline fail the more formal organs of the school; the Faculty, the Board and the Student Body along with parents will be brought into the process. Thus, the 3rd level of discipline is that of the institution - discipline by an authority outside of ourselves.  

PURPOSE: We wish to support and uphold the right of all to achieve their academic and personal goals, while respecting the rights and personal goals of the others, thus maximizing personal responsibility and freedom.  We are not here to punish but rather to support and uphold boundaries necessary for a healthy school community. Examples of unacceptable behavior: Disruptive behavior in class or study hall  (including failure to complete homework, when the teacher deems this disruptive to class flow); not doing one's cleaning duties; not fulfilling one's student hours; unexcused tardiness; skipping school, class, or study hall; smoking; harassment of another student.  

Alcohol and Illegal Substances; Illegal, Dangerous or Destructive Behavior:  Students, Parents and Faculty agree not to participate in any illegal, dangerous or destructive activities during the school day, while at school, or at any school function. The possession or use of marijuana, alcohol, or other illegal substances or participation in dangerous and/or destructive activities will not be tolerated. A student may be expelled for known use or participation and may be suspended if it is suspected.  A teacher may ask a student to leave immediately or wait until the end of the day.  The teacher will notify Care Group and School Coordinator.  Suspended students will remain out of school until the parents and student meet with the Faculty involved, School coordinator and Care Group to determine the path of resolution.” (YIHS Vision and Purpose Statement. YIHS Handbook) Note: The Care Group policies and procedure are under review with the goal to clarify the policies and proedures for the Care Group process.

 

5. Teacher Preparation and Professional Development 

1.  How do you plan to ensure that your teachers are Waldorf trained? 

We are a community school in many ways and draw heavily from parents, friends, alumni, and others in every aspect of the school, including teaching.  We also include students in every aspect of the school—and they even teach classes when deemed appropriate. 

Many of our teachers are professional craftspeople, artists, and tradesmen who share their deep and living knowledge and skills with our students.  Often they do their “real work” alongside teaching or take time from their work to teach a main lesson, for example.  We feel that this is invaluable to our students and is in keeping with Steiner’s indications that high school teachers be experts in their fields. 

Having said that, we feel that it is desirable that teachers do take up a study of Waldorf education in whatever ways are open to them.  This could include taking a foundation studies or other Waldorf/anthroposophical course; being involved in local or faculty study groups; or by personal study.  We have Waldorf trained/experienced faculty members involved in organizing and/or leading study sessions and conversations within the faculty to ensure that an active engagement with Waldorf pedagogy is always present within our school community. 

2.  What are your plans for teacher recruitment? 

YIHS currently employs about 35 different teachers for differing lengths of time during the academic year.  All but two of these teachers work part time, for periods varying from a single three-week main lesson block to daily path classes and main lessons throughout the year.  As a result of this structure, nearly all of our faculty have other livelihoods in addition to teaching.  Most teachers make significant sacrifices of time and potential income to participate in the school. 

Despite this fact, we have had very strong applicant pools for nearly all teaching openings.  The primary method of recruitment has been simple public announcements in school newsletters, emails, and other publications and word of mouth.  As a result, most of our teachers come from the immediate community, although we have also had a variety of visiting teachers over the years. 

3.  Describe plans for continuing faculty study and deepening your work in the understanding of child development. 

During our faculty meetings we have regular contributions from various teachers on aspects of Waldorf education.  We also have three faculty in-service sessions per year when we have the opportunity to take up pedagogical questions in some depth.  During our regular faculty sharing about students and about our work, we strive to bring anthroposophical insights to our questions where pertinent. 

We intend to deepen our departmental work in this area, examining our methodological and pedagogical work with students in the light of Waldorf education.  We intend to frame our conversations about curriculum with considerations arising from Waldorf education as practiced at Waldorf high schools and from our studies.  We also engage in discourse with other schools, including public schools, and other educational professionals. 

4.  What are your plans for the working together of pre-school and grades? 

YIHS shares a number of faculty with Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School, which is located immediately next door.  Many of our students are graduates of PRWS themselves and some have siblings there.  YIHS students have participated in some PRWS festivals, including the annual Holiday Faire, Santa Lucia Day, and the 5^th grade Pentathlon. 

5.  How will you develop your mentoring and evaluation programs over the next three years? 

At the end of each main lesson block or path class, students are asked to fill out an evaluation form about the teacher and about the subject of the class.  These forms are then reviewed by the Personnel Committee, which includes students, parents, and faculty.  The Committee composes a summary of these evaluations, including comments and a numerical score, and gives the forms to the teacher.  

Faculty members mentor and advise one another within the context of faculty meetings and of more informal departmental meetings.  In the future, the faculty would like to develop a more formal program of mentoring, based upon a core group of path class teachers and teachers of multiple main lesson blocks. 
6.  Board of Trustees 

YIHS has a unique form of governance. As a result of being created by students, parents, and faculty, the Board of Trustees and nearly all committees have student, parent and faculty members. Students do not participate in just an advisory capacity; they are full voting members of every group they participate in.  

1. How many members are on the Board of Trustees

The Board now consists of eleven Trustees. A minimum of three trustees and a maximum of four Trustees are currently enrolled Youth Initiative students. The Student Committee elects their three new Trustees at each Annual Meeting in May, who serve for one year. The Faculty Committee also elects one official Trustee to serve one year. Of the remaining seven Trustees, six are elected by the school community, which consists of all teachers, students and parents, and serve three-year terms. One is appointed annually in July by the Board as a member from the wider community for one year. 

2.  What growth do you plan for the Board?

In recent years we have added more members to our board. As the school and student body grew larger, we added an extra student representative. We also added a “community-at-large” member, both to solicit the opinion and feedback from someone with experience in the wider community, and to facilitate awareness of who we are and what we do to the larger community.  We do not anticipate creating any additional board seats or committees in the next three years. Our focus is on strengthening the committees we have, encouraging more participation by parents in our organization, and clarifying the decision making processes within the committees and the board itself.  

3.  How will the Board and faculty collaborate in the next three years’ growth?

The Board of Trustees currently collaborates not only with faculty, but with students and parents both directly and through the committee network. Our challenge in board-faculty communication relates to the fact that we only have 2 full time faculty members; all other faculty members are part time. Some teach only a main lesson block or two a year. Others teach several days a week throughout the year. Part-time faculty are paid for class time teaching but not for any administrative roles. They have the option of being reimbursed for meeting time, but many take on additional administrative work on a volunteer basis. Currently the path class teachers (Social Studies, foreign language, English) are hired for the full year and have a more consistent presence; participating more in faculty meetings, in-service meetings and in the decision making processes. The Board would like to have the funding of the school secure enough to hire several more teachers half time or full time to assist with administrative tasks in addition to their teaching responsibilities. 
 
 
 
 

4.  What Board Committees do you see forming to help move the school into the next three years of growth?

The work of the school (outside classroom instruction) is done largely by the committees. Some committees are defined by the bylaws, such as personnel, faculty and students. Most committees have a Board member as a liaison to keep the Board informed on issues. Some committees are more administrative in nature; those committees are represented to the Board by the school administrator. 

FACULTY includes all current year teachers as named officially by the Faculty Committee to the Board. The Faculty will manage school administration, curriculum structure and development, plus the schedule of school events. The Faculty Chairperson (or equivalent) will coordinate closely with the Board on development of school policies, significant Faculty issues, and initiatives. The Faculty Committee in accord with legal requirements and no outside approval will determine meeting frequency, agenda, rules of order, and governance for the Faculty. Faculty will guide the school’s shared spiritual, intellectual, and cultural life. Meets bi-weekly. 

PARENTS Committee will include all parents and official guardians of currently enrolled Students. Parent responsibilities include fund-raising activities, long-range planning with Board and Faculty, staffing for school functions where possible, organizing study groups, and special training. Of course, parents together may help each other with special problems experienced by adolescents or with special individual student concerns as well as focus parental issues for discussion with Board, Student, or Faculty committees. The Parents Committee will also organize its own agendas and governance.  

STUDENTS -The Student Committee will organize its own meetings, agendas and governance in accordance with the purpose and by-laws of the school. All currently enrolled students are members of the Student Committee. Students will designate special representatives to coordinate with the Faculty on curricular and administrative policy. Students will be responsible for fund raising activities coordinated with the Board and Parents.  

PERSONNEL - Hiring and evaluation of teaching Staff. Two parents, three students, two faculty, one community member, and one school coordinator. Students, parents and faculty are elected by their respective peers. Meets monthly or as needed.  

LONG RANGE PLANNING - Looks at issues relating to vision and planning for the school, including facilities and relations to other organizations. Evaluates the overall curriculum and individual courses, considers suggestions for changes or additions, and tries to find a balanced, age-appropriate curriculum course offering keeping in mind the indications of Rudolf Steiner’s world view of Anthroposophy and the wisdom inherent in the Waldorf curriculum.  

DEVELOPMENT - Looks at short and long range goals for fundraising events and solicitations. Evaluates fundraising activities and makes recommendations. DC issues a fundraising event calendar and tries to oversee and coordinate the overall fundraising awareness including: website management and content as it relates to PR, YIHS publications and press releases, individual and business community solicitations, and awareness of the general appearance of the school and its members in the community.  

ADMINISTRATIVE GROUP – Processes issues concerning the day-to-day administration of the school including approval of Independent Studies. The AG tries to keep abreast of pertinent issues concerning the student body, facilities, equipment needs, discipline issues, etc. AG works in close cooperation with the student committee and development committee.  

FINANCE - works closely with the school’s financial administrator. Tasks include budget planning, payroll and benefits, tuition, pledges and fees determination, pledge meetings with parents and general awareness of the financial health of the school.  

ENROLLMENT/ADMISSIONS - Accompanies new students and their families through the admissions process including giving school tours, hosting students for day visits, conducting information and orientation meetings and makes decisions concerning admission of new students, re-enrolling students, and student status after the required probation period (1 month). Note:  Constitution of Admissions Committee is currently under review.  

BUILDING/FACILITIES COMMITTEE – the building committee has the task to evaluate the present school facilities and the prospect of finding a permanent home for YIHS through existing buildings or building new. 

SPORTS SUB-COMMITTEE To investigate options for sports at YIHS & develop relationships with other schools regarding our participation in sports programs, to develop our own teams where possible.  

CARE GROUP AD HOC COMMITTEE – To redefine and articulate the care group process and roles of the care group members, insure documentation and use of the care group pro-actively rather than punitively. Members: Class parents, faculty, “houses” headmasters. 
 

 

7. Leadership, Administration, and Community Development 

1. How will administrative functions grow in the school over the next three years? 

We foresee an additional 2/3 position in teaching/administrative staff, an additional 1-2 days/week staffing for administrative assistant, and an additional 1-2 days/week for development staff as our budget needs increase.  These administrative increases will be in response to growing student enrollment (more reports generated, etc.), improving faculty benefits, etc. 

2. How will you foster cooperative leadership within your faculty and board? 

The Board has taken up the study of consensus as our decision-making process. The Board consciously rotates roles of facilitator, time-keeper, and process observer from meeting to meeting. We encourage “servant leadership.”  The Faculty also seeks to work with the consensus decision-making model. 

3. How do you plan to involve parents in the growth of the school? 

Our school community makes major decisions as a whole. A good example is the question of maximum enrollment that we took to the school community last year. We asked Students, Faculty and Parents to discuss and make recommendations regarding school size, based on the following options developed by the Long Range Planning Committee: 

-Limit enrollment (actual number not under discussion): first come, first served.

-Limit enrollment, Admissions Committee applying criteria (criteria not under discussion)

-Limit enrollment, lottery

-No enrollment limit, actively work on starting another school

-No enrollment limit, “grow creatively” e.g.

      -Multiple tracks of classes, with ideal class size of 15

      -Variable scheduling of school year, week or day

      -Changing format of classes curriculum

      -Annual student review/re-enrollment process 

All groups took part in lively discussions amongst themselves as distinct bodies and, together, through committees. The Board then reviewed proposals from each body and brought its recommendation to the entire school community represented at our annual meeting in May. Having eliminated all other options, we chose to grow “creatively,” fully aware of the continuing work required to discover what this means for our school. 

Our parents and our students are involved in decision-making and fundraising to the fullest extent we are aware of in any school. We continue to strive for the utmost transparency in communications and process. 
 

 

8. Facilities and Environment 

1.  How are you planning to house your school over the next three years, and beyond? Describe your vision of facilities and the capital planning to realize that vision? 

The YIHS is renting approximately 50 % of an old 3 story high school building located centrally in Viroqua next to the Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School (K – 8) with easy access to the downtown area. We are planning to continue at this location and have been in negotiations to purchase the building we are in. We are also exploring other options for the future. There is a strong commitment within the school community to stay within the city of Viroqua with easy (walking distance) access to the city center and Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School as this combination is the backbone of the local cultural and commercial life of the city of Viroqua which we want to be part of. At this time we have not started a capital campaign to realize all of our goals. 

2. How do you foresee caring for your facilities as you grow?

 

We have developed a tradition of self-reliance to care for our facilities with the students being responsible for the day to day cleaning and maintenance of the school facilities, while needed repairs and remodeling have been taken on by students, parents and volunteers, and if needed local contractors are hired. Additional funding of this area will be needed over the next few years. 

3. How do see having enough space for growth of both classrooms and outdoor activity areas?

 

At our present location there is room for potential growth as we only occupy 50 % of the building we are in and therefore are able to expand by renting additional space as the need presents itself. As far as outdoor activities areas are concerned we rely on the City of Viroqua parks. Potentially we could acquire an empty lot or field within walking distance of the school and transform it into a playing field for sports and similar activities.