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EDUCATION John Muir School grows Small magnet school adds teacher, room for more students Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jul. 1, 2015 at 8:02 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jul. 1, 2015 at 8:02 PM » Social News Allison Wildman has a keen understanding of what it’s like to cross her fingers and wait for that special call from John Muir School because she and her two kids went through that for three years. She also knows the joy felt recently by about 25 families because she eventually did receive the news that her kids would be able to attend the small magnet school. Now, thanks to John Muir’s recent expansion to five teachers and 125 students, Wildman’s kids will have a few more classmates to say "hi" to come September. “I have a boy who is so at home in nature, so putting him in a regular elementary school was challenging for him — he needs to be outdoors more and learn from experience,” said Wildman, who is also the Parent-Teacher Collective co-president and a sustainability committee member. “That’s exactly how my son learns. I knew it was a perfect fit.” John Muir principal Deidre Pearson hopes that there will be more perfect fits after the school was given the go-ahead from Ashland Superintendent Jay Hummel in May to hire another full-time teacher, making it possible to allow 25 more students for the 2015-16 school year. John Muir’s enrollment period closed on April 16, and as always, there was a waiting list for those whose number did not come up in the school’s lottery. That’s what happens when you have 125 applicants vying for 12 spots. Pearson had hoped to convince Hummel and the rest of the Ashland School District leadership that it was time for John Muir to expand, but even with the high demand it wasn’t an easy sell. “They were supportive and we were working together to find a solution,” Pearson said, “but obviously there are budget restrictions. And in the past we’ve faced declining enrollment in the district, so any time we expand then it could have a negative impact on the other schools. So it’s a fine balance.” There’s also the class size issue, and contrary to popular belief, John Muir is not immune. With only four teachers, John Muir has the last few years divided its kindergarten through eighth grade school into four mixed classes. For the 2014-15 school year, the breakdown went like this: 23 students in a K-1 class, 25 in a second and third grade combined, 25 in a fourth and fifth grade combined and 29 in a sixth, seventh and eighth grade combined. In the end, the district decided that adding a teacher and increasing John Muir’s capacity would benefit both John Muir and the district as a whole. “Well, it was very serendipitous,” Pearson said. “The stars aligned for us. We had a strong interest from the community and a waiting list at every grade level and a record number of applications, so we knew we could fill the classes. But the challenge was fitting it into the overall district makeup.” What made the expansion fit the district’s long-range goals, Pearson said, was a bulge in enrollment at the fourth- and fifth-grade level, as well as Hummel’s willingness to work with the school. “So taking some of those (fourth- and fifth-graders) actually provided some relief,” Pearson said. “Also, (Hummel) worked on the open enrollment process to allow additional students from outside Ashland that opportunity.” Once Pearson and the rest of the John Muir staff received the good news that the school could hire a new teacher and accept more applicants, she was tasked with informing the parents of those children who could now attend the school. It was a job Pearson relished. “Some of these families had already received communications that they were not able to attend and were on a waiting list, so it was exciting to be able to call,” Pearson said. “One woman that I called said that they had applied to John Muir every year since kindergarten and her child was a seventh-grader. Another said that she had wanted her daughter to attend since the womb. That was a first-grader.” Others could be heard crying while receiving the news. “That really made it all worth it,” Pearson said. Established in 2006, John Muir touts in its handbook an “experienced-based education and intellectual concept construction.” Students participate in hiking activities — such as the “leave-no-trace” backpacking trip — designed to tie-in to the curriculum, and also have access to other outdoor programs, such as the Rogue River Keepers and the SOU Outdoor Adventure Leadership Program. John Muir has also received an “Outstanding” rating from the Oregon Department of Education five years in a row beginning in the 2009-10 school year. Wildman understands why some would have an emotional reaction, having seen first-hand the John Muir philosophy at work in both her son (a soon-to-be fifth-grader) and daughter (soon-to-be second-grader). “It was like night and day,” Wildman says, describing the difference when her son began attending John Muir three years ago. “Just the atmosphere, and (his teacher) allowed him to be who he is. He didn’t have to sit behind a desk for three hours.” Will John Muir continue to look for opportunities to expand? Pearson says she can’t rule that out, but is pleased with the school’s current size. “I think we’re going to see how it feels at 125,” she said. “One of the founding tenets of our school is that it’s a small community, and of course that’s something to keep in the forefront. I would never say never, but we’re really happy and content where we’re at right now. There’s lots of happiness and excitement around here.”  Joe Zavala is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Jul. 1, 2015 at 8:02 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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