Great River School 1326 Energy Park Drive, Saint Paul, MN 55108

"Awesome work environment and a school full of educators who care about building holistic trust with students."

"Great local school working hard to incorporate itself into the community and welcome kids from all over!"

"Originally opened as one of the first Montessori middle-school and a high schools in the country, GRS honors many of the values of Maria Montessori who believed in hands-on-learning and that every student has their own learning needs and learning styles not considered in more traditional schooling. Though the Special Education program was underfunded as well as the lack thereof programs for mental wellness; these are also issues on the national scale. During the first year of opening, it’s true there were some disappointing stories in regard to some explicit racist acts and ever since the school has been trying to amend and atone, and with great success, I might add. Though the process has slow and challenging, many of the students are passionate about social justice issues. But by the time I was accepted to the school as an 8th grader, the past could have been forgotten. Thanks to the transformation, I met a community of 7th and 8th graders I felt comfortable with. The first day of school, as soon as I stepped down a hallway, a hushed sense of sheer peace came down on me. Something I had never felt before anywhere outside a library or a bookstore. I was never made to feel like the new-kid, or a loner, and I never got lost in the halls or stuck at my locker trying to recall the password. It was a relief. The students were friendly and trusting and shone a diverse mix of curious, and questioning minds way beyond the average IQ score with unique abilities and talents. I did feel undermined sometimes when I met students who prioritized grades and rigorous homework doing over play, though many of the assigments were quite fun. I was so used to thinking that homework wasn’t fun and was always stressful and the stress and anxiety I had accumulated gave me a warped vision that what is difficult is always complex, while it can also be viewed as simple. I thought when things felt simple or the intsructions laid out in a relaxed way meant that they were stupid. How wrong I was! Great River encouraged me to follow my passions no matter what. I received honors for the International Baccalaureate program in Highschool which helped me into college. I loved the Key-Experience trips where our whole class would go on week-long trips at the beginning and ending of each semester. I biked 100 miles, canoed perhaps 50 miles along the St. Croix River, worked on a sustainable farm in Wisconsin, traveled to Michigan, acted in a play, sang in a Choir, went on an Archeological Dig, went Geo-caching, even learned Stop-Motion Animation. I learned how to be independent and flexible, learned the strength to delve deep into any area for a project after every unit. It’s important for parents to know where I am coming from in order to get an accurate picture of what my experience was at Great River. I am an idealist, and at the time, a strict optimist. I also have a tendency to be quite stubborn or tenacious. I also have a loosely defined disability so self-directed learning was a great fit for me for those reasons. I learned to let go of my stubbornness which had put me academically behind. I learned that teachers are human, and my peers are human as well. I learned from my friends, and my teachers learned somethings from me. I didn’t see my teachers as people who sat upon pedastools high above our ranks. I called them by their first names. ”Change is the only constant”, as said by Heraclictus of Ephesus, a quote which I as of yet have no arguments for, was what was embedded inside my brain as I threw my cap into the air. Many of the teachers who changed my life; Molly Keenan, Tami Limberg, Kate, Emily, Enrique, Angela, Christina Beck, Russ, and Aaron, no longer teach at Great River which also changed the dynamics of the community I was part of and am still a part of now as an alumni. And, yes, GRS is changeable but it also highly adaptable to the current times. Though I wish there could have been more transparency and emotional training to my adolescent mind, it was still an unforgettable experience that will last a lifetime."

"THE TEACHERS ARE NOT VERY NICE"

"Its gr8 m8 no deb8 would r8 8/8 don't h8 m80"