WHAT OUR PARENTS AND FORMER STUDENTS ARE SAYING...
There are no words to describe my son’s experience at Another Way. He was there for three and a half glorious years. Another Way envelops you with its love and warmth and endless possibility. I believe the amount of time he spent outdoors hiking, horseback riding, skiing, and playing really reinforced his academics. At the end of Kindergarten, he was tested at a 4th grade level in reading and 3rd grade level in math. He is a gentle and thoughtful soul because of the environment and educational methods he was surrounded by at Another Way. Diane Bode is the heart of that school and surrounds herself with loving and like-minded people.
I wish our son could stay there forever!
- Mr. and Mrs. Raphael Tapioca 2019
The first time we walked into Another Way we felt as though we had come home. The place we had dreamed of for our child to be educated really exists! From the carefully and beautifully organized indoor environment to the outdoor play space and garden to the horse stables and the ski barn our family was enchanted. We watched Diane connect with our daughter and the horses in a way that few adults are able to do. Our daughter inhabited herself with remarkable poise, confidence and ease after her time with Diane and the horses. Diane's spirit, vision and magic are truly unique. Her wisdom and experience are gifts to be transmitted not only to children and families but to a younger generation of teachers who can carry on her legacy.
As parents who have backgrounds in medicine and education we are well acquainted with the current research and thinking about the needs children have for contact with the outdoors and the way this impacts their academic success, critical thinking skills, and emotional well-being. We knew when we first experienced Another Way that as a parent participants we would do everything we could to support
the school's success. We owe it to our children who will inherit a world facing monumental challenges to offer them
a new educational paradigm. Another Way will lead the way.
- Elanne and Chris Kresser, 2019
Nella is on a Jr. Race Team here in North Carolina. Yesterday was her first race. Nella placed 1st in the 5-6 year-old girls’ group.
Thank you for such amazing ski instruction. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Another Way, and will miss it very much.
- Heather Tweedie and Zack Althen 2018
My parents were told that I was not a public school candidate when I was just 3 years old. My parents said, “What then?” My preschool teacher Barbara Felt told them to take me to Another Way. Another Way has been like my second home for as long as I can remember. I first went when I was only four, and I have been coming back ever since to work as an employee, help teach, and volunteer. It is a timeless treasure that will forever be a part of my life. I owe the school so much; for teaching me to be strong yet kind, for teaching me the meaning and value of hard work, for giving me countless opportunities to grow and learn and try new things that I never would have done without it, for being a place I could always rely on. I learned to work side by side with adults, to be a role model for kids younger than I was, and everything in-between. The people I have met at Another Way are some of my greatest friends, both former students and co-workers. Another Way is the reason I am who I am today. There is no other place in the world like it, no other place with such hard-working, devoted, passionate people. Everyone at Another Way is there for the children, and to do good in their lives.
My greatest wish is that it can continue for so many other children in the future.
- Ashley Silver, age 18 (Senior at Park City High School)
I was first introduced to Another Way as an eager 4 year-old. I came back as a volunteer, assistant teacher and even as an acting administrator one summer. My journey with Another Way will never conclude; a piece of my soul will forever reside here. I hope the value of Another Way is recognized and that the school will continue to change lives in the same way it changed mine.
- Boyana Martinova
Sophomore at the University of Utah
(18)Your school and your teaching philosophy is a true gem in the middle of our town that continues to offload more and more of its education implementation onto computers and apps. We live in one of the most amazing places on earth. In my opinion, our community has truly talented and amazing people. And yet, the education system throughout our district strives less and less for excellence each year and barely provides the most basic academic needs. At the charter school where my sons now attend there is no longer a focus on teaching writing conventions. They did away with spelling test, their music and art program has declined, and the only science the students get is through paper worksheets.
Another Way is focused on developing a strong academic foundation using the Montessori method in a homey ranch-style setting. The education you provide is hands-on, practical and provides examples of how the things students learn are applied in the real world. Your connection to Nature, large animals, and sports is one of a kind in our community. The services AWS provides are critical these days when so many children are addicted to computer screens and video games. Your horse program is amazing. Your ski program is phenomenal.
The two years that Tor attended your school were the best two years of his school life so far. You set him up to be such a confident and focused young man. His writing abilities far surpass those of his older brother, who did not have the blessing to attend your school full time. You turned Tor into a great little skier.
As you know, we live outside the Park City School District in Tollgate. Consequently, I enrolled the boys at the charter school to get them into a school within the district that goes through the 8th grade. We wanted to be sure we had a reliable school for them to attend within the P.C. District. We did this so that the boys could not be pushed out because we lived outside the district.
Looking back, the best thing I could have done would have been to have kept
them at Another Way, as they learned a mere fraction at the Charter school that they would have learned from you. Last year, Cash was struggling with his reading and writing. I knew immediately to bring him to you to get him through his challenges. With a handful of tutoring sessions,
you helped to build Cash’s confidence with reading. He began to enjoy reading and has lost his fear of it.
You make the learning process so enjoyable, practical and easy to understand that Cash embraces everything you teach him. You have been a very important resource and influence for Cash and our family.
It is my understanding that you are applying for funding to continue development at Another Way. I know that good funding would not only help your magical school to continue, but it would help it flourish and touch the lives of even more children. It would also help provide support for marketing to help our entire community realize the wonderful resource Another Way provides for parents and children right under their noses. Your school provides and unprecedented academic education connected to Nature, sports, and the old skills of the frontier.
You and your school matter; it is my deepest wish that you are able to secure funding to help your gift truly blossom.
With love and admiration,
- Sarah and Erik Cylvick, (2018-19)
Another Way and its teaching philosophy is a true gem in the middle of our town that continues to offload more and more of
its education implementation onto computers and apps. The connection to Nature, large animals, and sports at
Another Way is one of a kind in our community. The services Another Way provides are critical these days when
so many children are addicted to computer screens and video games. The school offers an unprecedented
academic education connected to Nature, sports and the olds skills of the frontier.
With love and admiration,
- Sarah and Erik Cylvick
This school is a family to me because there is a spirit that brings us together.
Another Way should be available to all children.
- Maya Schnog, age 12
Another Way cultivates possibility thinking. Children are encouraged to find another path, option, or way to reach their goal.
Another Way students enter the world rich with options. They do not see a rigid structure that outlines their lives, rather
they see a multitude of paths and crossroads they can explore and expand awareness.
- Ingrid Vanderzon
Junior at the University of Virginia 2019
This place - school – safe haven – is an amazing place with an amazing visionary.
I worked here when I was in high school and then went on to spread my wings. I am now back helping as an administrative assistant. One of the many things I love about this place is the fact that your love and passion for whatever you are passionate about is not only valued to the highest degree, but also encouraged and nurtured in the lessons you get taught here.
- Ashley Apostolakos (summer and fall 2018)
Finding you this summer has been the absolute highlight for Alexander and for us. A gift from the heavens!!!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for welcoming us with such wide, open arms.
Thank you for empowering Alexander with his own choices, for offering him comfort
and safety, and for opening his world to the beauty of horses.
Alexander asked me no less than 10 times if we could move here “So that I can go to Another Way.”
You have created a magical place for children (and their families).
I thank our lucky stars for finding you.
With Heartfelt Gratitude,
- Angela and David Lee 2019
Ashley with ADHD and Dyslexia had the time and support during her years at Another Way to deal creatively with her issues.
She learned to see them as gifts rather than as liabilities. The children at Another Way learned how to support
one another despite differences in the way they learned and responded to challenges.
No one was shuffled from one room to another – age groups worked together.
All children were treated the same way with kindness and respect. They saw similarities
rather than differences regardless of the form. They saw the kinship of all Life.
Working with adults, older children and younger children developed
powerful communication and relationship building skills.
On Ashley’s first day in class at her Junior High, photos of famous political and historical people were held up
to the students to see if they could recognize them. The kids in the class did not know any of them.
Ashley knew them all and what they had done historically. Ahead in all academic subjects and mature
far beyond her years Ashley thinks for herself and has no problem confronting authority
when she feels that something is amiss and must be addressed.
As a senior in high school, Ashley still exhibits all the things that she learned at Another Way - to listen respectful in order
to fully understand what is being expressed, to question to gather more information, and to be kind no matter what.
She thinks outside-of-the-box and can work with any age group kindly and respectfully.
She has taken Another Way with her. You can take the child out of Another Way
but the child will take what has been learned with them for always.
Thankfully,
- Cathy and Rick Silver 2019
Today I learned of a human who made me think of you. Joy Harjo is the U.S. Poet Laureate. She, not unlike you, simply by virtue of being herself in this world, illuminates life. Thank you for your stewardship of this land on the corner-of-magic on which your school rests. Thank you for allowing the creative structures, sculptures, dwellings and open spaces that watch children and animals play.
Thank you for sharing yourself, your skills, your passions, and your spirit with the community.
Love,
- Michele, Carl, Augie, and Root Roepke , fall 2019 (parents and two former students - neighbors of Another Way)
We have perhaps, been long overdue in sending you this note. As you know, our daughter Paige, now 9 years old and in the third grade, was one of your first students at Another Way, starting in the fall of 2004. For five years, she had the good fortune to study with you and your colleagues there. She remembers the whole experience fondly and we believe she got an excellent educational experience supplemented in ways that stretched and enriched her as no other program could have done.
In an era when so many educational institutions aim for “good enough,” you and Another Way aimed for excellence. We appreciated the excellent education in the basics – reading, writing, and math. We appreciated the tracking and benchmarking she received in each of those disciplines. We also felt that she got a very good grounding in science, not only via classroom instruction but also by exploring the world outside through hikes and field trips that identified and collected examples of geology and botany in their native environment. And then, to use art to teach drawing and color, and to enhance her understanding of rocks, plants and animals was truly cross-reinforcement.
As you know better than anybody, Another Way teaches and allows kids to experience skiing and horseback riding, not just as fun activities, but as a way of mastering and controlling one’s ability to move, and extending that to partnering with an animal 10 times their size. What a great way to instill confidence in the academic environment and to teach the transfer of concepts of motion and control from the mind to the actual experience.
In all of this educational experience, one of the great distinctions of Another Way is to insist that kids show respect. We loved that Paige felt secure physically and also emotionally. We loved that firm, loving correction was immediate. So often, educators simply give up on that part of education. Finally, what kid wouldn’t want to go to a school that teaches them to make candles, bags, shoes and other things the pioneers did, that during part of the year has a real tipi in the playground, and that opens its graduation with ceremonies with
a real Native American chief in full regalia. We forget sometimes that education can be done while letting kids be kids.
Another Way was a remarkable experience. Paige was fully prepared in all ways to transition to a larger private school, where she leads her peers, based in part on the preparation she received at Another Way.
Thank you,
- David and Liz Anderson, 2010 (Paige entered Harvard fall 2019)
I wish our son could stay there forever!
- Mr. and Mrs. Raphael Tapioca 2019
The first time we walked into Another Way we felt as though we had come home. The place we had dreamed of for our child to be educated really exists! From the carefully and beautifully organized indoor environment to the outdoor play space and garden to the horse stables and the ski barn our family was enchanted. We watched Diane connect with our daughter and the horses in a way that few adults are able to do. Our daughter inhabited herself with remarkable poise, confidence and ease after her time with Diane and the horses. Diane's spirit, vision and magic are truly unique. Her wisdom and experience are gifts to be transmitted not only to children and families but to a younger generation of teachers who can carry on her legacy.
As parents who have backgrounds in medicine and education we are well acquainted with the current research and thinking about the needs children have for contact with the outdoors and the way this impacts their academic success, critical thinking skills, and emotional well-being. We knew when we first experienced Another Way that as a parent participants we would do everything we could to support
the school's success. We owe it to our children who will inherit a world facing monumental challenges to offer them
a new educational paradigm. Another Way will lead the way.
- Elanne and Chris Kresser, 2019
Nella is on a Jr. Race Team here in North Carolina. Yesterday was her first race. Nella placed 1st in the 5-6 year-old girls’ group.
Thank you for such amazing ski instruction. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Another Way, and will miss it very much.
- Heather Tweedie and Zack Althen 2018
My parents were told that I was not a public school candidate when I was just 3 years old. My parents said, “What then?” My preschool teacher Barbara Felt told them to take me to Another Way. Another Way has been like my second home for as long as I can remember. I first went when I was only four, and I have been coming back ever since to work as an employee, help teach, and volunteer. It is a timeless treasure that will forever be a part of my life. I owe the school so much; for teaching me to be strong yet kind, for teaching me the meaning and value of hard work, for giving me countless opportunities to grow and learn and try new things that I never would have done without it, for being a place I could always rely on. I learned to work side by side with adults, to be a role model for kids younger than I was, and everything in-between. The people I have met at Another Way are some of my greatest friends, both former students and co-workers. Another Way is the reason I am who I am today. There is no other place in the world like it, no other place with such hard-working, devoted, passionate people. Everyone at Another Way is there for the children, and to do good in their lives.
My greatest wish is that it can continue for so many other children in the future.
- Ashley Silver, age 18 (Senior at Park City High School)
I was first introduced to Another Way as an eager 4 year-old. I came back as a volunteer, assistant teacher and even as an acting administrator one summer. My journey with Another Way will never conclude; a piece of my soul will forever reside here. I hope the value of Another Way is recognized and that the school will continue to change lives in the same way it changed mine.
- Boyana Martinova
Sophomore at the University of Utah
(18)Your school and your teaching philosophy is a true gem in the middle of our town that continues to offload more and more of its education implementation onto computers and apps. We live in one of the most amazing places on earth. In my opinion, our community has truly talented and amazing people. And yet, the education system throughout our district strives less and less for excellence each year and barely provides the most basic academic needs. At the charter school where my sons now attend there is no longer a focus on teaching writing conventions. They did away with spelling test, their music and art program has declined, and the only science the students get is through paper worksheets.
Another Way is focused on developing a strong academic foundation using the Montessori method in a homey ranch-style setting. The education you provide is hands-on, practical and provides examples of how the things students learn are applied in the real world. Your connection to Nature, large animals, and sports is one of a kind in our community. The services AWS provides are critical these days when so many children are addicted to computer screens and video games. Your horse program is amazing. Your ski program is phenomenal.
The two years that Tor attended your school were the best two years of his school life so far. You set him up to be such a confident and focused young man. His writing abilities far surpass those of his older brother, who did not have the blessing to attend your school full time. You turned Tor into a great little skier.
As you know, we live outside the Park City School District in Tollgate. Consequently, I enrolled the boys at the charter school to get them into a school within the district that goes through the 8th grade. We wanted to be sure we had a reliable school for them to attend within the P.C. District. We did this so that the boys could not be pushed out because we lived outside the district.
Looking back, the best thing I could have done would have been to have kept
them at Another Way, as they learned a mere fraction at the Charter school that they would have learned from you. Last year, Cash was struggling with his reading and writing. I knew immediately to bring him to you to get him through his challenges. With a handful of tutoring sessions,
you helped to build Cash’s confidence with reading. He began to enjoy reading and has lost his fear of it.
You make the learning process so enjoyable, practical and easy to understand that Cash embraces everything you teach him. You have been a very important resource and influence for Cash and our family.
It is my understanding that you are applying for funding to continue development at Another Way. I know that good funding would not only help your magical school to continue, but it would help it flourish and touch the lives of even more children. It would also help provide support for marketing to help our entire community realize the wonderful resource Another Way provides for parents and children right under their noses. Your school provides and unprecedented academic education connected to Nature, sports, and the old skills of the frontier.
You and your school matter; it is my deepest wish that you are able to secure funding to help your gift truly blossom.
With love and admiration,
- Sarah and Erik Cylvick, (2018-19)
Another Way and its teaching philosophy is a true gem in the middle of our town that continues to offload more and more of
its education implementation onto computers and apps. The connection to Nature, large animals, and sports at
Another Way is one of a kind in our community. The services Another Way provides are critical these days when
so many children are addicted to computer screens and video games. The school offers an unprecedented
academic education connected to Nature, sports and the olds skills of the frontier.
With love and admiration,
- Sarah and Erik Cylvick
This school is a family to me because there is a spirit that brings us together.
Another Way should be available to all children.
- Maya Schnog, age 12
Another Way cultivates possibility thinking. Children are encouraged to find another path, option, or way to reach their goal.
Another Way students enter the world rich with options. They do not see a rigid structure that outlines their lives, rather
they see a multitude of paths and crossroads they can explore and expand awareness.
- Ingrid Vanderzon
Junior at the University of Virginia 2019
This place - school – safe haven – is an amazing place with an amazing visionary.
I worked here when I was in high school and then went on to spread my wings. I am now back helping as an administrative assistant. One of the many things I love about this place is the fact that your love and passion for whatever you are passionate about is not only valued to the highest degree, but also encouraged and nurtured in the lessons you get taught here.
- Ashley Apostolakos (summer and fall 2018)
Finding you this summer has been the absolute highlight for Alexander and for us. A gift from the heavens!!!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for welcoming us with such wide, open arms.
Thank you for empowering Alexander with his own choices, for offering him comfort
and safety, and for opening his world to the beauty of horses.
Alexander asked me no less than 10 times if we could move here “So that I can go to Another Way.”
You have created a magical place for children (and their families).
I thank our lucky stars for finding you.
With Heartfelt Gratitude,
- Angela and David Lee 2019
Ashley with ADHD and Dyslexia had the time and support during her years at Another Way to deal creatively with her issues.
She learned to see them as gifts rather than as liabilities. The children at Another Way learned how to support
one another despite differences in the way they learned and responded to challenges.
No one was shuffled from one room to another – age groups worked together.
All children were treated the same way with kindness and respect. They saw similarities
rather than differences regardless of the form. They saw the kinship of all Life.
Working with adults, older children and younger children developed
powerful communication and relationship building skills.
On Ashley’s first day in class at her Junior High, photos of famous political and historical people were held up
to the students to see if they could recognize them. The kids in the class did not know any of them.
Ashley knew them all and what they had done historically. Ahead in all academic subjects and mature
far beyond her years Ashley thinks for herself and has no problem confronting authority
when she feels that something is amiss and must be addressed.
As a senior in high school, Ashley still exhibits all the things that she learned at Another Way - to listen respectful in order
to fully understand what is being expressed, to question to gather more information, and to be kind no matter what.
She thinks outside-of-the-box and can work with any age group kindly and respectfully.
She has taken Another Way with her. You can take the child out of Another Way
but the child will take what has been learned with them for always.
Thankfully,
- Cathy and Rick Silver 2019
Today I learned of a human who made me think of you. Joy Harjo is the U.S. Poet Laureate. She, not unlike you, simply by virtue of being herself in this world, illuminates life. Thank you for your stewardship of this land on the corner-of-magic on which your school rests. Thank you for allowing the creative structures, sculptures, dwellings and open spaces that watch children and animals play.
Thank you for sharing yourself, your skills, your passions, and your spirit with the community.
Love,
- Michele, Carl, Augie, and Root Roepke , fall 2019 (parents and two former students - neighbors of Another Way)
We have perhaps, been long overdue in sending you this note. As you know, our daughter Paige, now 9 years old and in the third grade, was one of your first students at Another Way, starting in the fall of 2004. For five years, she had the good fortune to study with you and your colleagues there. She remembers the whole experience fondly and we believe she got an excellent educational experience supplemented in ways that stretched and enriched her as no other program could have done.
In an era when so many educational institutions aim for “good enough,” you and Another Way aimed for excellence. We appreciated the excellent education in the basics – reading, writing, and math. We appreciated the tracking and benchmarking she received in each of those disciplines. We also felt that she got a very good grounding in science, not only via classroom instruction but also by exploring the world outside through hikes and field trips that identified and collected examples of geology and botany in their native environment. And then, to use art to teach drawing and color, and to enhance her understanding of rocks, plants and animals was truly cross-reinforcement.
As you know better than anybody, Another Way teaches and allows kids to experience skiing and horseback riding, not just as fun activities, but as a way of mastering and controlling one’s ability to move, and extending that to partnering with an animal 10 times their size. What a great way to instill confidence in the academic environment and to teach the transfer of concepts of motion and control from the mind to the actual experience.
In all of this educational experience, one of the great distinctions of Another Way is to insist that kids show respect. We loved that Paige felt secure physically and also emotionally. We loved that firm, loving correction was immediate. So often, educators simply give up on that part of education. Finally, what kid wouldn’t want to go to a school that teaches them to make candles, bags, shoes and other things the pioneers did, that during part of the year has a real tipi in the playground, and that opens its graduation with ceremonies with
a real Native American chief in full regalia. We forget sometimes that education can be done while letting kids be kids.
Another Way was a remarkable experience. Paige was fully prepared in all ways to transition to a larger private school, where she leads her peers, based in part on the preparation she received at Another Way.
Thank you,
- David and Liz Anderson, 2010 (Paige entered Harvard fall 2019)
