On this Local Motion, we'll take a peek into a few nontraditional classrooms in Montrose, Colorado. You’ll hear from Suzy Conty of Miss Suzy’s Educational Services before we turn to Keely Vaughn of the Outer Range outdoor campus. Finally, we’ll sit down with Jack Christensen, the incoming principal of Black Canyon High School. Black Canyon just celebrated its first graduating class last month.
Miss Suzy’s Educational Services is tucked neatly in Montrose’s Main Street, just next to Coffee Trader and across from Horsefly. Suzy Conty recently transformed the historic 1907 home located at 843 East Main Street into a vintage classroom. There, the independent service provides educational home redesign, family coaching, behavioral modification, school support for students, summer learning and preparation and…care for date nights.
Suzy’s classroom philosophy draws from educational reformers like John Dewey and Maria Montessori and many others. Suzy is most inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, a model focused primarily on social collaboration, encouraging children to work in groups and develop knowledge through communication. Here, a child's environment is also their teacher.
Suzy didn’t solidify her teaching philosophy overnight. It’s taken almost three decades of teaching experience. Suzy was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has lived coast to coast ever since. She studied Sociology and Social Work, and after opening a successful pre-school, knew that she had found her calling. While teaching, Suzy continued her education and became Director of El Montecito Early School in Santa Barbara, California.
Currently Suzy and her team works privately for families, schools and children, providing custom, tailored lessons for students. One tool in Suzy’s toolkit is music.
Tira and Kalena are new to Miss Suzy’s program, but aren’t strangers. The nine year old third graders attend Pomona Elementary together and share a love for music…and Franklin the resident guinea pig in Miss Suzy’s front room. Today, they’re working on friendship bracelets.
Upcycling is another facet of Miss Suzy’s classroom, which comes with its own challenges. Miss Suzy’s Educational Services is located at 843 East Main Street in Montrose. For more information, call 970-318-0982.
Keely Vaughan is the founder and principal of Outer Range, an outdoor classroom. Outer Range offers tuition-based programs and pre-school, but it's also a Montrose County School District public school for all ages. Information on the Outer Range summer school programs can be found at outerrange.org.
Jack Christensen is the incoming principal of Black Canyon High School in Montrose County School District. Christensen is leaving his three year stint as the principal for Cottonwood Elementary in Montrose, Colorado for a new challenge. Still in its infancy, Black Canyon High School just celebrated its first graduating class last month. The school is often mistaken as a school for students facing expulsion, but Christensen notes the school provides many opportunities for students not succeeding in the traditional classroom setting.
Black Canyon offers academic credit through hands-on lessons, career exploration activities, vocational work experience and extended teacher and peer support. The school also provides a flexible academic and vocationally-oriented curriculum and emphasizes preparation for life after school in our region. For more information on Black Canyon High School, call 970-252-7913.
Thanks for tuning in to Local Motion on KVNF, your Mountain Grown Community Radio. For local motion programming, you can visit our website, KVNF.org.
