One little known fact about Clear Spring School, the small, independent non-profit school on Dairy Hollow Rd. that has operated since 1974, is that in its early days it got a bit of help from the woman who recently made history by being the first woman nominated for President by a major political party in the U.S.
Three weeks after Clear Spring School opened, police officers shut down the school and told the children to go home.
“Why aren’t these children in school?” the police officers asked.
The school had been founded by Will Fulton, Molly Fulton Seeligson and Laurie Hubbard Doctor. Fulton contacted the University of Arkansas legal aid department in Fayetteville with the problem.
Fulton was referred to Hillary Rodham (later Hillary Rodham Clinton), who told him to reopen the school and there should be no more problems.
“From its earliest days, Clear Spring has continued to grow and develop as a model of progressive education,” states a history of the school.
Clear Spring currently serves pre-primary to high school students on a 16-acre campus with five buildings housing classrooms and administrative offices.
Phyllis Poe, who has come back to be head of school, first became associated with the school in 1977 when she started teaching there.
“It is extremely rare to have a school like this in a town this small,” Poe said. “Our accreditation bodies calls us ‘The Miracle in the Woods.’ You don’t find schools like this, generally, except in big cities. We’ve had many families who have actually moved to Eureka Spring for their children to go to Clear Spring. It is an ideal situation to have a school in a small rural town like Eureka Springs.”
Clear Spring is distinguished by its small class sizes and innovative learning styles. The school averages 12 students per teacher, and hands-on learning is an important component.
“We all learn differently,” Poe said. “Some children need to have hands-on to really retain and learn. That is very much something that we have here, that and project-based learning. Some children learn better from their peers, so we have peer teaching opportunities. We do a lot of outdoor education. Why sit in the classroom and read about a lizard instead of going outside and watching the lizard in its natural habitat?”
In the lower grades, there are a lot of daytrips around the community. From the fourth grade up, they go outside of the community on field trips. First through sixth grade students go camping twice a year to places like Roaring River State Park and the Buffalo National River. Seventh through twelfth grade classes travel outside the state, with a two-week trip in the spring which is curriculum based.
“But they continue their classes,” Poe said. “It isn’t just going camping and having a lot of fun. It is taking the classroom outside. They still have classwork, but they are in a natural environment.”
They use a block system at the high school level that allows students to go deep into a subject by studying one subject for a number of weeks. They learn all the core subjects, and Poe said they are well prepared for college or whatever else they want to do after high school.
“One of the key points at Clear Spring is we teach the child how to learn, which helps them go wherever they need to go,” Poe said.
Students are also taught important skills about how to get along with others. Poe said at Clear Spring, they work on conflict resolution, hoping children will learn to deal with discord among themselves.
“At a certain age, you will see them doing that on the playground without interference from adults,” Poe said. “In a smaller environment, conflicts are quicker to come to our attention and we are able to deal with it in a structure where you have caring adults and a program that helps you learn how to deal with those situations.”
While not everyone can afford the tuition at Clear Spring School, Poe said they have the lowest tuition in the organization that accredits them.
“It is very rare to find an independent school with accreditation that has tuition as low,” she said. “We work with people. We do everything we can to help them be a part of Clear Spring. We still have to pay the teachers and keep the lights on, but we really do work with students who want to be here. Tuition is probably less than half what it costs to educate the child. We do offer scholarships. Families are often surprised how we try to work with them. They never know until they come and ask.”
Clear Spring School has had a number of graduates who have gone on to great success. Doctors, architects, some living internationally and working for non-profits. For more information, see the Clear Spring Alum Facebook page.
There are a number of new faces on the Clear Spring staff this year including Dori Thomas, the new director of development and admissions. Several other new teachers have experience teaching and working in foreign countries. For more information including bios on the new teachers, see the Clear Spring School Facebook page.
Classes start August 29. The Clear Spring School Association of Parents and Teachers is hosting a back-to-school Italian dinner for new and returning families Thursday, Sept. 5, right after school at 3:30. For more information about the school, visit www.ClearSpringchool.org.