Arts & Ideas Sudbury School at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah

Arts & Ideas Sudbury School, a small alternative school, begins its 2009-10 academic year in September 2009.  This will be their second year operating in our building.  A&I is excited to announce that due to the satisfaction of their current families and their spreading reputation, they will be doubling their enrollment.  The school, which grew over its first year from 8 to 21 students, has preregistered its maximum limit of 40 students for the year.  While still a small school, this increased enrollment makes possible a broader collection of experiences for the children, a larger staff, and a more stable organization.  Arcadia residents, Caroline Chavasse and Danny Mydlack, are the driving force behind the school.  They are both professors:  Caroline at MICA, and Danny at Towson.

The school operates on a democratic model that emphasizes creativity and personal responsibility.  The model was pioneered 40 years ago by the Sudbury Valley School in Massachusetts and has been adopted by many others around the country.  Danny has worked at Fairhaven School, a similar school in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where he filmed the documentary entitled "Voices from the New American Schoolhouse."   

The School primarily occupies the Upper Parish Hall, and have they are made some much-needed renovations to the space, refurbishing and updating to more flexibly accommodate both auditorium/stage and classroom functions.  Danny and Caroline have been working over the summer making additional renovations, both to the the Upper Hall and also to the Lower Hall, which will be used this year as an additional space for the school during the week.  

The Vestry believes that this relationship constitutes faithful stewardship of our facility in a manner that is consistent with our parish vision.  In fact, the Vestry sees our relationship with Arts & Ideas Elementary as part of our ministry of hospitality and community relationship-building.  We have crafted and signed an agreement with Arts & Ideas that governs our relationship with the school, and our goal remains to offer the school the liberty it needs to be successful without negatively affecting the parish property and ministries.

This has been a very exciting development in the life of our parish and our community, and it is the Vestry's ongoing hope that the relationship between the school and the parish will continue to be positive and uplifting for everyone involved.  To find out more about this new school in Northeast Baltimore, click here.

    Welcome back to all students, teachers, and parents -- have a wonderful academic year!