Community is Collaborative
Recently, I asked PSCS alumnae a few questions, including what they thought PSCS had best helped prepare them for post-high school and, if applicable, post-college. One alum sent in a video with his answers. Top of list included his ability to be self-reflective, particularly in writing and evaluative processes. He noted many other students in college were not at all prepared to be asked what they thought about their own engagement in their own education and how important this ended up being. He also feels PSCS prepared him well to be self-determined, accountable to his goals and commitments, and to know how and when to ask for help—each of which served him wholly “not only in college, but as a citizen of the world.”
As a trans man who came out while still at PSCS, he knows he was not his most fully formed self in high school, but that he did have a small, safe community in which to be unfinished and unrelenting about uncovering his personal truths and the truths of the world. He feels PSCS fostered what is now a very strong sense of identity and integrity in early adulthood.
He visited us recently, and we chatted a couple times after I received his video. He believes it’s noticeable how much effort this little school has made over the last several years to really dig into who we are and what it means to model collaboration and serve families at Puget Sound Community School in 2024; What it means to be a supportive, progressive, learning environment for young folks who know more than ever what they deserve from education and society, how this country has set some up to succeed but not others, and what is at stake to live or not live the binary.
PSCS prepared him well to be self-determined, accountable to his goals and commitments, and to know how and when to ask for help—each of which served him wholly “not only in college, but as a citizen of the world.”
As I’m sure you can see, the state of education and mental health support for youth (for anyone) across the US is significantly more tenuous. Young people—particularly those who’s humanity remains consistently up for debate—are about to face challenges and obstacles we simply can’t be fully prepared for.
Now is the time to show our support for community education, beyond what we’ve previously found comfortable. Not simply for our own kids, but for our neighbor’s kids; for our bus driver and our therapist’s kid; for our kids’ teacher’s kids and our sibling’s friend’s kids. Large schools and institutions are not safe from what’s coming, which means small schools and non-profit organizations must rely even more on support from folks like you—who are able to see what’s truly possible when we think beyond survival and standardized test scores.
Our young people deserve a school that will fight for their dignity and the dignity of their mentors, that will educate in service to honesty and empathy, hearing and valuing different perspectives, consensus-building, changing your mind, and thinking critically. While it is unlikely to be fully realized in middle and high school, young people needn’t wait until some distant future to love themselves and speak up for each other; to learn about varying experiences and histories; to practice skills most likely to serve our shared humanity.
Participation in equity-driven, identity-safe education has never been more crucial. Young people should be able to do more than simply survive as we continue to advocate for what’s possible and equitable for all people—both in education and in the world.
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Sieglinde Levery-Nicholas
Puget Sound Community School
Director of Community Engagement
Sieglinde (she/her) is now in her 13th year as a Director at at PSCS, and her 3rd year as member of the collaborative Administrative Team. She holds 19 years experience in independent, non-profit/education administration, development, admissions, and facilitation. Born and raised in Seattle, she lived in 11 apartments and houses all over the city before her moms were able to buy a small house in the Central District in the early 90s. She went to TOPS, graduated from Franklin High School in 1999 (go Quakers!), and holds a degree from the University of New Hampshire, where she also studied abroad at Gonville & Caius College, at the University of Cambridge. Soon after, she joined the faculty at Waring School in Beverly, MA, as a teacher, and began working in the Advancement and Admissions Offices to make ends meet. In 2012, she moved back to Seattle to work at PSCS and was mentored by co-founders Andy Smallman and Melinda Shaw. She was, and continues to be, compelled by relationship driven, community-centered education that prioritizes community, joy, creativity, intersectionality, and collaboration. Sieg lives in Rainier Beach with her 6-year old and her spouse, Drew. She loves reading, writing, dominoes, yoga, crossword puzzles, and is passionate about our collective liberation, decolonizing education, transgender justice, and amplifying the voices of the next generation of change-makers. She is also on her second year on the Board of Directors of Rain City Rock Camp.