Community Meeting is the oldest A-School structure, and it is hard to imagine how the school could function without it. Community Meetings are run by two students from a Core Group. Core Groups take turns to appoint chairs. The chairs structure the discussions, call on people, determine when to vote, and decide what kind of vote to take. Chairs who are doing the job well listen to the comments being made, are careful not to call on the same people repeatedly while others have their hands up, and may take straw polls to determine whether or not the community is ready to vote and move on to the next issue.
No matter how effectively the chairs work, they cannot make a meeting run well without the cooperation of the entire community. A good meeting is one in which everyone is listening and thinking about what is said, rather than having private conversations, getting up and moving around, daydreaming, or playing with a phone or device. When people are not listening they may repeat comments that have already been made, or call out, "Wait! What's going on?" when a vote is about to be taken. All this can be avoided if everyone makes an effort to pay attention and listen to one another.
Another problem can be the tone of debate. People will not feel comfortable actively participating in meetings if they see other people getting jumped on after making unpopular comments. We need to address this with a community-wide commitment to create a comfortable environment for everyone to speak in. It is not necessary for everyone in the A-School to see things the same way, but it is necessary for everyone to respect one another, and to respect the rules and expectations that make this community possible.
The people present at Agenda decide what issues will be discussed and addressed at the subsequent Community Meeting. Agenda is chaired by two people from one Core Group (the chair is rotated among the Core Groups each week) and supported by the Core Group’s faculty advisor. The Agenda leaders also chair the subsequent Community Meeting. The balance of the committee consists of a minimum of two people from each Core Group. Agenda is open to the entire community.
The chairs begin by conducting a brainstorming session for ideas for the upcoming Community Meeting. The group then discusses the proposals, giving reasons why particular ideas should or should not move forward. Finally, everyone in attendance gets to vote on the proposals.
Although people sometimes consider Agenda a chore or forget to go, it is the most underrated structure at SAS. The authority to determine the Community Meeting agenda is substantial. If a member of the community is unable to attend Agenda, she may still submit her proposal through the chairs or any other person who will be attending the meeting. If there is inadequate participation by the A-School community, the faculty will set the agenda for the Community Meeting. Agenda typically meets on Friday during common lunch in room 1N4.
Each faculty advisor has a Core Group of 15-17 students that meets every Monday for lunch to discuss community and personal issues, and of course to eat. Relationships within Core Groups can grow very close. Core Group also provides an opportunity to take care of essential administrative tasks. Sometimes the people at Agenda will ask Core Groups to focus on issues that will be discussed at Community Meeting as well. Since some people do not feel comfortable discussing issues with the entire community, such discussions can be more effective if they are preceded by a Core Group discussion.
Core Group is:
a safe place where individuals can formulate opinions on community-wide issues and test them out.
a place where a cross-section of the school can create a smaller, more intimate community and so be able to address personal issues.
a place where school-wide issues can surface and then be brought to Community Meeting.
a place to learn effective group process skills.
a place to learn about the history, theory, and philosophy of SAS.
Core Group discussions are confidential. There should be no discussion of personal issues that might arise in a Core Group with anyone outside that Core Group.
Community members are expected to meet with their faculty advisor a minimum of two times every marking period. Ideally, these meetings will take place every other week during the school year. This time is set aside to talk about everything from business to personal problems. Advisor/advisee relationships may grow very close through these meetings, which gives a student another source of adult support during the journey through high school.
(Changes to this program are to be determined)
The purpose of this student-led committee is to resolve issues, disputes and rule infractions within the community. Any student or teacher may bring any community member to Fairness. People outside the SAS community may be involved in this process only if they agree to confidentiality and to abide by whatever decisions are made.
A Fairness Committee consists of a minimum of one faculty member and 6 students, and it is chaired by a trained student leader. When a committee convenes, it hears first from the person who asked to come before them about their reasons for doing so. Then the person being brought to Fairness has a chance to respond. After both people have been asked questions about the situation, the committee discusses it and makes “Determinations” if they are necessary.
Sometimes Determinations are not necessary, because the two people might simply have needed a forum to discuss their issue and see each other's point of view. On the other hand, people are sometimes brought for breaking community rules, in which case Determinations are more likely. All Determinations for rule infractions have to be arrived at by a majority vote of the Fairness Committee. Any person involved in a particular Fairness case may appeal the Determinations if they think they are overly harsh or overly lenient. If the outcome should still be unsatisfactory, they may bring the issue in front of the entire community, which then acts as a giant Fairness Committee.
All members of the Alternative School community are responsible for attending Fairness Committee if assigned to a case and for following up on a specific Determination if assigned to do so. It is the case leader's responsibility to inform all participants of the Determinations of a case, to follow up on any Determinations, and to announce the outcome of the case to the community. Students interested in leading Fairness Committee cases must successfully complete the Fairness Committee Leadership training.
The Internship program was created in 1973 to further the A-School goals of increasing student freedom and responsibility as well as making the school more responsive to the outside world. Commuting and working every day helps A-School students to better understand the perspective of working adults, and a good internship is also a fine example of “student as worker.” A good internship depends on the sponsor and site, but primarily it depends upon the attitude of the intern. If you are attentive, interested, and reliable, a successful internship is almost guaranteed.
SAS classes are suspended for a month while each student in the program works as a volunteer intern. Students are responsible for finding their own internships, with the help of their advisors, parents and friends. Interns have worked in a wide variety of fields, including education, business, science, politics, the arts, medicine, law, and the media. There is a database of previous internship sites available for your reference.
During the Internship period students are responsible for working a minimum of 35 hours a week, the equivalent of 8:00 – 3:00 every day. Internship is part of the academic program at SAS. Students have failed Internship in the past for inadequate attendance. Students who are enrolled in high school classes subtract hours from the 35 so that they can complete their academic obligations. The formula is that one hour for each class period and a half hour for homework are deducted from the 35 hour per week requirement. Students may be eligible to deduct hours for time spent traveling to and from work.
One of the first steps in finding an internship is to talk to your SHS teachers about their attendance policy during Internship. In many cases you will be expected to attend every class period. However, sometimes you can arrange with your teacher to attend a different section of the course or to miss certain periods. These arrangements are up to the discretion of your teachers; how many hours you will have available for your internship will depend on that. It is very important for the continuation of the Internship program that you attend all the classes agreed upon with your teacher. AT A-School classes may meet occasionally in the morning or at night. No matter what arrangements you make, you are responsible for meeting all of your academic responsibilities to each of your classes over the Internship period.
Most people get internships in Scarsdale or the New York City metropolitan area. Some students have traveled for internships, to locations around the country and abroad. The principal must approve any internship site more than 50 miles away, and obviously you must be able to make appropriate arrangements with any teachers whose classes will meet during Internship. As you begin considering possible internships, be sure to consult with your advisor.
To learn more about our internship program, CLICK HERE!
One of the goals of SAS is to be responsive to the larger community outside of its four walls. In 1986 the A-School voted to make community service hours a mandatory aspect of the program for all students and faculty. Since then, the A-School has taken many different approaches to integrating community service into the program. Currently, the school’s community service and charitable efforts are coordinated by our Philanthropy Chairs, who are elected by the student body.