1. A NEED.

It is clear that high schools everywhere are too often large and impersonal, most are still wedded to the original model that emerged in the late 19th Century. Many families are seeking something more engaging and in tune with the realities of the larger world and that of young people aged 16 to 19. A new paradigm in education is needed, and we are helping to build it.

The students seek:

· An educational adventure.
· Exposure to people from other cultures.
· To study things that count.
· To work with mentors they know and respect and who know and respect them.

Meanwhile, parents wish to be supportive yet are mindful of both cost and safety realities at this time. SDU has been created to serve these needs and is in an ideal situation in which to do so.

2. A UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY.

· It begins with a log---see the Philosophy.
· 20-30 students and 15 staff members come from all over the world.
· Main Campus: Highden Manor, a picturesque Victorian Mansion in NZ.
· Skilled instructors coaching students for a strong academic future.
· Campus nestled between working farms and a lovely small town and a larger city.
· On campus: woodshop, art studio, pool, garden, and forest preserve.
· A staff living and traveling with students on outdoor expeditions.

· Satellite campuses that encompass 3 miles of wild river, 2 miles of beach, 600 acres of native forest, and an alpine valley in the Southern Alps.

3. RESPECT FOR LEARNING DIFFERENCES.
The founders of StoneFire in New Zealand have been, for over 20 years, devoted to the reality that each of us learns differently, and has different strengths and weaknesses, needs and interests. In order to ensure that each student gets the support he/she needs, all courses proceed at an individual pace and one-on-one tutoring is readily available.

4. REINTRODUCING DIRECT EXPERIENCE.
Many skills, talents, and experiences once common to man are missing in our modern education. StoneFire in New Zealand offers access to:

· Woodworking
· Food cultivation and preparation
· Picking fruit and collecting eggs
· Caring for livestock
· Mapping natural rhythms
· Creative arts
· Music and drama
· Horsemanship

5. NEW WAYS TO COMMUNICATE.
The world has changed much and is changing rapidly now. The most significant emerging new reality is the computer and digital revolution. Several times each month students and families communicate by the use of e-mail and a regularly updated student website with photos and text. Further, rather than have students return to the wintry North for the holidays, it is our hope that families will join the school community for several days. Following this, the family (with their student as guide) can take off on a “summer” vacation in New Zealand. Remember, in the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed! Upon returning to the states, an optional three-night rest stop in Fiji can be arranged.

6. A RETURN TO SIMPLE ESSENCE
The natural beauty of New Zealand and its slower pace inspires all of us back to what is simple, good and true. We more easily remember who we are and what is truly important. Our focus shifts living in the Southern Hemisphere, we get turned upside down and come back home with a new vision of the world and our place in it.

7. MOTHER NATURE THE MASTER TEACHER.
The instructors at StoneFire have spent most of their adult lives with young people. They have discovered, again and again, that travel and the great outdoors are among the very best teachers, and New Zealand is a land and culture where outdoor adventure is a national pastime.

The founders of the School Down Under came to this project in New Zealand with decades of successful educational practice in the United States. Between us we have been on hundreds of extended field trips and educational journeys in America and Europe. We founded a highly successful school in California, where after 20 years of leadership our Headmaster was declared a local hero in Santa Barbara for his devotion to new and effective ways for educating and involving youth. We have seen what works well with students, teachers, and parents. We are so proud of each of our one thousand and more students, that we have asked some of these college grads to join our staff at StoneFire!

Back