The Deck House School’s Four Programs

The Deck House School’s Academic, Life, Community Service, and Co-Curricular Programs provide twelve teenage boys with an embedded supportive structure, which utilizes constructive relationships, mentorships, apprenticeships, and internships within our community network. Along with our own consistent gentle guidance, students may receive therapeutic/medical services from outside healthcare providers with whom we facilitate scheduling and transportation to/from appointments. Our talented teachers lead tutorial, discussion-based, College and Career Preparatory and Advanced Placement (AP) Courses.

·      Our Academic Program offers students opportunities to study College and Career Preparatory and Advanced Placement (AP) Courses with talented teachers/tutors, who facilitate spirited classroom discussions. Classes are rarely larger than three or four students and are often one on one. We administer the College Board exams including the SAT I, SAT IIs, and APs on our campus, helping to reduce students’ anxiety associated with standardized tests.

·      Our Life Program prioritizes opportunities for students and staff to work together as a team, inventing and documenting original recipes, planning and cooking meals, organizing tools and cleaning supplies, developing craft through household chores, and accomplishing work jobs.

·      Our Community Service Program develops active citizenship by requiring students to volunteer their time to local, worthwhile causes such as the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and The Morris Farm Trust. Students practice organizational and time management skills in these real life work environments.

·      The Deck House School’s Co-Curricular Program encourages students to pursue meaningful learning experiences with adult mentors, who include scientists, engineers, blacksmiths, boat-builders, chefs, and/or artists. Personal projects, apprenticeships, and internships are life changing and focusing opportunities for our students.


Dr. Melinda Evelyn Browne, Head of School

‘Participation’ at The Deck House School

If the living, experiencing being is an intimate participant in the activities of the world to which it belongs, then knowledge is a mode of participation, valuable in the degree in which it is effective. It cannot be the idle view of an unconcerned spectator.  [John Dewey, Democracy and Education, 1916]

‘Participation’ is the theme of our Academic, Life, Co-curricular, and Community Service Programs at The Deck House School. ‘Participation’ is categorized by apprenticeship, guided participation and participatory appropriation, defined as follows (Rogoff, 2002):

APPRENTICESHIP: Engaging in community activities with experienced mentors and elders may encourage students to develop a mature participation style. A student pursuing an apprenticeship with a local boat builder within our Co-curricular Program is an example of this type of participation.

GUIDED PARTICIPATION: Experiences working side-by-side characterize this manner of participation, students and mentors making an effort to accomplish something together. One example is students and faculty planning and preparing evening meals in our Life Program.

PARTICIPATORY APPROPRIATION: This participation category is at the individual level, where learning is a process of becoming. The process is the product (Rogoff, 2002).  ‘Becoming’ refers to each student growing and changing as a result of his participation in connecting academic studies to experiential activities outside the classroom.

Students’ participation in each one of our four programs, Academic, Life, Co-curricular, and Community Service, reinforces and enriches their participation in the others.

Dr. Melinda Evelyn Browne, Head of School

References

Rogoff, B. (2002). Observing sociocultural activity on three planes: participatory appropriation, guided participation, and apprenticeship. In J. V. Wertsch, P. Del Rio & A. Alvarez (Eds.), Sociocultural Studies of Mind (pp. 139-164). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

‘Wraparound’ at The Deck House School

Current educational research defines ‘Wraparound’ as a planning process that aims to include multiple stakeholders and community resources in the interest of helping struggling students (Eber, Sugai, Smith, & Scott, 2002). The ‘Wraparound’ process works with students’ strengths and interests to design individualized programs to achieve outcomes agreed upon by family, student, and school. Each student’s multi-dimensional and comprehensive program may include opportunities to make social and academic gains, realize personal goals, improve personal relations, and engage in extracurricular and career-oriented activities.

The Deck House School appropriates the key components of the ‘Wraparound’ process as follows:

WRAPAROUND COMPONENT (Eber, Sugai, Smith, & Scott, 2002)	PURPOSE	THE DECK HOUSE SCHOOL’S PROGRAMS
Community based	Utilize diverse -educational contexts across multiple, local settings.	·      Community network extends from The Deck House School to the Mid-Coast Maine area. ·      Academic, Life, Co-curricular and Community Service Programs connect our students with key people and learning opportunities in Mid-Coast Maine locations.
Individualized, strength-based, needs-driven	Custom tailor supports for the whole student.	·      Academic classes utilize individualized discussions and needs-based tutorials. We offer rigorous and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. ·      Life program activities such as planning and cooking meals encourage students to assume responsibility for community as well as individual needs. ·      Co-curricular activities allow students to develop their strengths, and interests, by participating in the livelihoods of their mentors. ·      Community Service activities offer valuable leadership and work experience.
Families as full and active partners	Communicate regularly with parents.	The Head of School offers weekly/bi-monthly phone appointments with parents. The Deck House School respects the differences in the ways families define their roles and participate in the boarding school experience. We believe that family-school collaboration is an essential element of student success. (Minke & Anderson, 2005)
Flexibility	Offer proactive, programmatic flexibility.	·      Flexibility is our continuity at The Deck House School across the Academic, Life, Co-curricular, and Community Service Programs. ·      The Deck House School directs its formal and informal community resources/supports to best serve/meet its students’ needs.
Unconditional commitment	Reward and recognize students. Emphasize “how” students succeeded rather than just that they did.	·      Special outings for students who are meeting expectations in the Academic Program. ·      Rewards lunches for students who are fulfilling their obligations in the Life Program. ·      Awards for individual accomplishments in the Co-curricular and Community Service Programs. ·      Teachers and role models who are unconditionally committed to the students and their plans.
Collaborative process, results in plan	Engage in broad conversations, create strength profiles and purposeful individual learning plans.	·      Gather information about the student’s interests and ideas to inform academic, behavioral, personal, and career goals across home, school, and community contexts. ·      Articulate the student’s strengths as a function of what he/she likes to do, for example: read to young children. ·      Create a succinct purpose statement to guide the team in helping the student realize his/her outcomes. ·      Design an individualized plan based on the student’s needs, which are most important to his success. Establish unique objectives and outcomes.
Oversee the process	Collect data. Provide systematic feedback and evaluation.	The Deck House School collects and analyzes student data across the Academic, Life, Co-curricular, and Community Service Programs, and may adjust students’ plans to suit new information.

The Deck House School’s ‘Wraparound’ is a needs-driven, individualized process, which connects the classroom to the community context, and gives students the opportunity to develop their strengths and interests in diverse, local settings. The school welcomes families as full and active partners in identifying students’ strengths and needs. Teachers and role models provide support by offering flexibility across the Academic, Life, Co-curricular, and Community Service Programs.  They are committed to creating, facilitating, and monitoring students’ plans, as well as realizing unique outcomes.  

Dr. Melinda Evelyn Browne, Head of School

References

Eber, L., Sugai, G., Smith, C.R., and Scott, T.M. (2002). Wraparound and positive behavioral  interventions and supports in the schools. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 10(3), 171-180.

Minke, K.M., and Anderson, K.J. (2005). Family – school collaboration and positive behavior support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 7(3), 181-185.

The Deck House School Profile 2012-2013

CEEB/ACT Code 200726

Dr. Melinda Evelyn Browne, Head of School [melinda@deckhouseschool.org]

Mr. Thomas D. Blackford, Director of Development [tom@deckhouseschool.org]

                                   

Membership 

ISANNE, SSATB, National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
College Board (200726), and College Board Test Center (20156)

                                                                                         

Accreditation

New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Head of School serves on NEASC Commission of Independent Schools (CIS), State of Maine Department of Education: Approved Secondary (Grades 9-12) School, Maine State Certified Teachers, and SEVIS Approved

The Location

Situated on a hilltop overlooking the Sheepscot River, our 180 acre wooded campus offers the charms of rural life, and proximity to the rich artistic/maritime attractions of the mid-coast region of Maine. 

The School

Founded in 1979 by Edward T. Hall, The Deck House School is a residential, college-preparatory high school with an enrollment of 12-13 young men. Students and staff work together to create a community that builds positive relationships and encourages social, emotional, and academic growth.

The Students

There is no one type of student we enroll, but we select only those we believe will benefit from our unique learning environment, in which the emphasis is on participation within a community network. The typical length of stay for a Deck House School student is 1-2 years. 80% of our enrollment has been referred to us by educational consultants, 15% by other schools and 5% from other sources.

The Faculty

Our faculty members are Credentialed and Certified by The State of Maine Department of Education. The Head of School holds an Ed.D. degree in Mathematics Education. The student-faculty ratio is less than two to one. Class sizes range from one to six students. Adjunct faculty may teach specialized courses when needed such as German Language and Mandarin Chinese.

The Curriculum

The Deck House School curriculum is a web of four programs, radiating from the concept “community” at the center. Each program, Academic, Life, Co-curricular, and Community Service, draws from the strength of the community and reinforces the bonds that hold us together, and connect us to the larger world. The Deck House School offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses, including AP Biology, AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art, AP Calculus BC, AP U.S. History, and AP Physics C.

Grading System

Year-end grades are the average of the four quarters. Grades are not weighted. Grade Scale:

A+ (100-97), A (96-93), A- (92-90), B+ (89-87), B (86-83), B- (82-80), C+ (79-77), C (76-73), C- (72-70), D+ (69-67), D (66-63), D- (62-60).  The same applies to our Summer Semester (mid-June thru end-August).

College Acceptances

Over the last three years, graduates have received acceptances at colleges and universities nationwide, including Appalachian State University (U.), Bryant University, Champlain College, Colby Sawyer College, College of Charleston, Curry College, Drew U., Eckerd College, Fort Lewis College, Goucher College, Green Mountain College, Guilford College, Lynchburg College, Lynn U., Menlo College, New England College, Salisbury University, Stetson University, U. of South Carolina, Whittier College, and Willamette U. 

Riffs on our Mission Statement

The Deck House School is a small residential high school for boys who have struggled in the academic mainstream. Students and staff work together to create a community that builds positive relationships and encourages social, emotional, and academic growth.

“The Deck House School is” - Our motto is “Saepe Create Molles Aspera Spina Rosas” (Often the prickly thorn produces tender roses) [From Ovid]. We believe that The Deck House School is a place where ‘roses’ or positive selves may grow from the ‘prickly thorn’ or trajectories of difficult experiences and unfortunate events.

“a small” - A student body of twelve boys is tiny by any measure of a school. However, ‘small’ in our case means small enough to fit around the kitchen table each evening to share a meal. Bringing his/her own experiences and viewpoints to the table, the presence of each individual changes the nature of the company.

“residential” – Residing at The Deck House School entails preparing meals and doing daily and periodic chores. In this respect, life itself is the curriculum.

“high school” - We have found that there is great potential for boys to change their pattern through their own agency between the ages of 15 and 19.

“for boys” - It is well documented in current educational literature that boys have unique social/emotional/learning needs, such as masculine identities, making connections to others, building relationships, and active-experiential learning.

“who have struggled” – ‘Struggled,’ in past tense, means having worked below his potential, as evidenced by his deteriorating grades, school dismissals, and rule-breaking behavior.

“in the academic mainstream” - In mainstream educational settings, our students may have wanted, or needed, more attention, and they may have gotten off track because of distractions. Some of our students may have institutional identities that limit their sense of potential.

“students and staff” - Students and staff are true partners. Through active discussion – our primary method of teaching – a constant verbal exchange draws out the energy and encourages the possibilities.

“work together to” – Working together is a vital expression of The Deck House School’s culture.

“create a community” – ‘Community’ refers to the network of individuals who foster social, emotional, and academic connections inside, and outside, the schoolhouse. Metaphorically speaking, our community network is a tuber or rhizome, branching out in many directions, yet deeply rooted here on our hill.  

“that builds positive relationships” - Positive relationships require effort and  solid connections. We assume that our boys may construct positive identities through positive relationships with adults.

“and encourages” - Though we may encourage change, ultimately this is something that the boy must desire to do; he has to take ownership of the process. By creating a supportive community, we provide a context that allows this to happen, what our founder, Edward T. Hall, referred to as the “the soil of success.”

“social, emotional, and academic growth” -  We define ‘growth’ as expanding social, emotional, and academic connections within our diverse community network.

Central to the growth process, students connect with our dedicated, and talented, faculty through collaborative activities in our Academic and Daily Life programs. From cooking meals to cleaning the school buildings, we work hard, together, to care for this place. Reaching out in our Co-curricular and Community Service programs, students forge connections with local business-owners and managers, organic farmers, pre-school teachers, freelance musicians, working artists and craftspeople – opportunities to build constructive relationships by actively participating in the livelihood of their mentors. This experience often leads to greater self-confidence and positive identities.

Dr. Melinda Evelyn Browne, Head of School