So when I got home last week I kinda felt bad for how hard I was on the idea of a “FSU Advertising Agency/ Grad School” because it made me think back to my own high school.

38 years ago a guy named Ray Anderson had a crazy idea, (to the left is ray in his office) to start a high school that was student run with no rules. Today, that same idea everybody has looked at as “crazy” has been in Newsweek for the past 12 years (ever since the “top high schools in America list has been posted”) as a top 10 high school, as well as part of the best 7 years in my life. (you can also Google us in the Washington Post under “hippy high”) (ps we were 4^th my year! Woop woop!)

“Sometimes I feel like you kids go to summer camp with books, not high school; and I’m the coordinator of “Camp Woodlawn!” –Elly K. 10^th grade history teacher.

-Rule one was there were no permanent rules (besides the ones the county forced us to have b/c we were still “public” AKA no guns etc.)

-Students got together every Wednesday to decide and go over the rules. The meeting was optional (therefore you only went if you cared about voting on a topic). Now a lot of the rules were fun, the seniors would get the entire class to show up and pass a law saying “only seniors could park in the lower lot,” but if they voted yes, then it was a rule! (until the next week when all the juniors would go to the meeting a reverse it of course). This “Town Meeting” covered everything from vending machines, to school dances, to test taking policy. We once went an entire semester without tests b/c as a school we voted that your grades should be based on effort, not test taking abilities. The principle’s vote counted just as much as a 6^th graders; and everybody did what was best for the school.

-going to class was OPTIONAL. The point of our school, was it was fostered upon the bases of respect and descion making. If you wanted to go out to coffee with your friends instead of going to class, that was your choice… but you’re the one missing out. A lot of the times when I “skipped” class I would see the teacher later in the hall, and feel so guilty, because at HB the teachers were your friends, always willing to help (in all sylabus’s they put they’re home phone #’s, screen names and would always sit around the couches with us and watch TV. Oh ya the couches.

-At my school there were no lockers. Well they’re were, but nobody used them. Everybody just threw their backpacks on the floor, because nothing ever got stolen, we all trusted, respected the school’s philosophy way to much.

-couches lined our halls. We had lounges with TV’s and would often nap and just “hang out on the couch” durning free blocks and inbetween classes

-“free blocks” were high school heaven. The way you made your schduel (yes YOU make it) you got one hour a day to do whatever you wanted. (most of us would put it before or after lunch so we could go out to eat) but the students also ran EVERYTHING from fund raising, dances, year book, tee shirts… we did it all, so we used that time to have meetings and go talk to teachers (well sometimes J )

-the teachers. At such a crazy school, you have to understand that it takes a special kind of teacher student relationship. For that reason, we were taught to look at our teachers as our friends and because their vote at “town meeting” counted no more then our vote, the feeling was they were no better then us… for that reason we called them by their first names. My teacher senior year were “Randy (“Randers), Ellen, Mark, Kris, Elly, Ginny, Dave… you get the point.

Ok so I just wrote a lot but like most “HB Woodlawn Alum” I’m so proud of this crazy experiment, that was just creative and crazy enough to work. Next time I rip up on an idea I’ll try to stop and think of my principle, Ray, proposing the Arlington County Board a school that is completely run by students with no rules…

PS thanks for everybody who voted for me! I’ve got a fun night out in hot-lanta planned! haha