Green Acres School

Green Acres School celebrates 75 years of progressive education!

In 1934, Alice Mendham Powell founded Green Acres, a school based on the ground-breaking ideas of John Dewey and other educational reformers including Francis W. Parker and Jane Addams. Seventy-five years later, we celebrate this worthy milestone, but what we honor goes beyond simply our longevity. We continue to celebrate seventy-five years of:

Inclusivity and Diversity—Green Acres from its inception was the first racially integrated school in Montgomery County. Alice Mendham Powell also raised money for scholarships before she opened the doors to the first tuition paying student.

Hands-on, Active Learning and Critical Thinking—Green Acres students have always been challenged not merely to memorize but to question and create, not merely to absorb but to act, not merely to adapt but to innovate, and not merely to learn for the test but to satisfy their curiosity.

Environmental Stewardship—Green Acres students have always learned both in the classroom and outside, whether at our first location on a farm, within our current fifteen acres, or on trips away from campus.

Leadership and Citizenship—Green Acres School has always been a small, nurturing community where life’s lessons about citizenship are taught each day and where students have opportunities to develop and practice leadership skills.

Respect and Caring—Green Acres teachers have always known and nurtured their students. Children have always been seen as contributing individuals, not as blank slates. Respect for their ideas, their experiences, their differences, and their developmental readiness are hallmarks of our approach. As a Middle School student explained to Head of School Neal Brown recently, “Teachers here, all of them, see me as a human being with ideas. They earn my respect rather than demanding it.”

While our 21st Century facilities, our innovative, up-to-date curriculum, our technology resources, our website, our wind power, and of course our blog show our obvious growth and development as an institution, we continue with great pride to be the school Alice Mendham Powell envisioned, and so much more. This is more than worthy of celebration!

The year-long celebration included:

• An evening Speaker Series
• An updated edition of Green Acres School: 75 Years of History by Green Acres parent Lisa Nevans Locke
• Hosting a Progressive Education Network National Conference
• 75th Celebration Weekend for the entire Green Acres community
• Quilt Show

Please click on the links at left for more information on all these events.