Our Model

Belonging v. -

Being fully accepted for who you are, collectively working to overcome judgement, prejudice, and bias

To feel that you belong is liberating. It means that your identity is validated and affirmed, that you can build healthy relationships, and that you are secure within the community. These principles are the foundation of The Gathering Place’s culture.

The Gathering Place celebrates and builds upon what makes us diverse, works in relentless pursuit of equity, and facilitates inclusivity to create a community where people feel an authentic sense of belonging. Instead of trying to force students to share a set of common societal beliefs, which in the U.S. are often built on white and eurocentric values, we focus on understanding and encouraging the things that make us different.

The culture of our schools is built on restorative practices. While most schools respond to breaches of school culture with retributive punishment, we focus on accountability through repairing the harm that was done.

Lastly, through a social-emotional curriculum, students at The Gathering Place learn to deeply understand and manage emotions, establish and maintain positive relationships, and develop empathy and resolve conflict.

Project-Based Learning v. -

Designing your own education by solving real-world problems that matter to you

What students learn in school should not be separated from how it appears in the real-world. Instead of moving through topics that are disconnected from the very things that matter to students and jumping from one unrelated skill to another, project-based learning does the opposite.

Through PBL, students explore relevant problems, create plans to build potential solutions or answers, and reflect throughout the learning process. As problems have not been isolated from the real-world, projects are by nature interdisciplinary and weave together multiple skills. Each student’s project is different and reflects their personal interests and passions.

For example, in traditional schools, students go from one content class to another. In math class, the goal of the day may be adding fractions, in history, it may be knowing what crops the Aztecs grew, and in English, it may be writing a persuasive essay. The lessons are disconnected from one another and separated from the real-world, leading to bored students and frustrated teachers.

With project-based learning, students start with a meaningful problem. They may work in teams to suggest solutions for the vacant lot near their school. A team may propose to convert the abandoned lot into a community garden. They will utilize fractions to design the garden and plan the budget, learn to grow different crops as a way to test different soil compositions, and they too will learn persuasive writing as they put together collateral to receive approval from city council.

While the first example often leads to boredom and minimal learning (and brings back memories of staring at the clock waiting for class to end for many of us), the second example develops a set of vibrant experiences and skills that stay with people for life. Project-based learning is real, tangible, and you as the student get to set the course of your own learning.

Creating v. -

Bringing something into existence that would not have existed without you

Art is at the center of what it means to be human. It enables us to see what is not there. It develops identity. It gives pleasure. It is how we share the complexities of our experiences with others and it is the primordial ooze of innovation and creativity. The arts are often an outlet for emotion and expression, an elemental method of communication, and a way to connect deeply and explore perception. At The Gathering Place, we believe that the arts are a fundamental way of interacting with the world and support students in answering the question of “Who am I?”