Mission The Community School is a private non-sectarian co-educational day school serving 30 students in grades 6 to 12. Our students are bright, highly motivated young people from 15 towns in central New Hampshire and western Maine.
We believe learning is a rigorous and joyful pursuit which calls on each individual's talents and interests, and promotes appreciation of the interconnectedness of people and places. At The Community School, our mission is to support students on their individual learning paths within a caring and respectful community.
(603) 323-7000 / info@communityschoolnh.org
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  Students presented their findings on beaver activity on the Perkins Farm to members of The Buildings and Grounds Committee. Mapping the beaver ponds using Google Earth, counting chewed stems and entrances to the three beaver lodges, observing remaining food supply, they then came up with a series of recommendations to manage the area. Of greatest concern is the flooded access to our forest lands. Here was one option:
 Others included taking apart two dams, installing a “beaver deceiver” if needed. Trapping the beavers in a humane and legal way would be a final option.
The frozen grays and browns of our New Hampshire winterscape may yet be brightened by snowfalls this month, but if you’re longing for color you’ll have to look elsewhere! Here’s a suggestion: set aside an hour to warm yourself by the woodstove in The Community School lobby and feast your eyes on the vibrant colors of Nicole Maher’s distinctive oil paintings on wood or canvas lining the walls of the two lobbies.
Loving the native New England palate, this local artist is known for portraying what she sees outside her own Wonalancet windows, in the shadow of Mount Whiteface. Some of Maher’s pieces demand immediate attention with their size and intensity; others could become comfortable friends tucked by a chair in your favorite nook. All paintings in this display are available for purchase.
In an exuberance of color, Maher has filled the lobby and walls of this farmhouse school building. On one wall, the stark geometric pattern of bare-branched trees creates a stained glass effect against the backdrop of rose-colored sky and Sandwich Range mountain tops. Across the room, bright sunlight punches out of the canvas off the ripples of a woodland stream. Turn to your right and you’re gazing at a tangle of tulips from Maher’s own garden. Colors, colors all around, all there to delight winter-starved senses.
From the art-studded walls of the lobby, to the food-laden tables of its open-to-the-public Thursday lunches, it is evident that The Community School sees education as more than just “book learning.” In preparation for college and meaningful work, students at The Community School learn by doing, connect with nature, develop an ethic of stewardship, solve real problems, and provide service to others. A fully accredited, independent day school for grades 6 – 12, The Community School has served communities in Maine and New Hampshire since 1989.
No need to hazard long winter drives to feed your artist’s soul. For several years the walls of The Community School have served to display an abundance of work by local and school artists. Drop by the Bunker Hill Road campus any week day between now and the end of January to enjoy the current display.
 BG Hodges, father of senior Clara, makes a guest appearance Santa and his bag full of toys will be at The Community School pancake breakfast, 7:30 am – 10 am, December 10, 2011. Come with the family and enjoy a hearty stack of homemade pancakes hot off the griddle, topped with real butter and local maple syrup. Don’t forget a side of bacon and a mug of eye-opening coffee or a glass of ice cold orange juice or milk. Sitting by the woodstove in our cozy farmhouse style lobby, Santa is guaranteed to have a listening ear and a special toy for each child. What better way to start a day of Christmas tree-hunting or holiday shopping? Make a memory, bring a camera, and catch the moment! $7 for those over twelve; $3 for kids under twelve
The Community School hosts a themed pancake breakfast on the second Saturday of each month as a fundraiser to help students finance their spring trips. Students and teachers work together to formulate itineraries which coordinate with and expand on classroom study and local field work. Trips this year offer either the opportunity to work in the unique ecosystem of Costa Rica’s cloud forest or to travel by rail to Washington, D.C. where students will concentrate on the history and art of the nation from Settlement through 1900. For more information call 323-7000.
Saturday, December 3rd, the students and families of The Community School on Bunker Hill Road will once again usher in the festivities of the holiday season with their 10 AM – 2 PM Holiday Fair.
Walk into the cozy front lobby and you’ll be surrounded by holiday sounds and smells. Just inside the door you’ll find a forest of uniquely decorated trees in our own version of a Festival of Trees. Our families have made this part of our fair both beautiful and fun, offering an array of balsams festooned with fanciful and unlikely decorations. Why not take a chance or two on the tree of your choice and support The Community School’s Financial Aid fund for our 2011/2012 students? Themes for this year range from All Things Blue, to Tamworth’s Local Foods, to The Chocolate Lover’s Dream Tree. Each decorated tree will go home at the end of the day, awarded to the lucky raffle winners.
Upstairs, kids will love the Bargain Bazaar (gifts priced just right for a child’s wallet) and the ever popular Cookie Walk in the Theater Room. Don’t miss this opportunity to stroll through the school’s sunlit hallways, meet local crafters and artists, and choose from a wide selection of distinctive gift items. This year’s vendors will be offering pottery, jewelry, fun vintage wear, cards, paintings, dish gardens, candles, knitted goods, and more.
Delicious homemade soups and sandwiches will be available to purchase from the kitchen all day. Take a chance on winning a door prize or one of the hourly raffles. There’s something for everyone!
We had the privilege of walking sections of the Perkins Farm with writer and ecologist Tom Wessels in early November. Students had been studying Tom’s book Reading the Forested Landscape in their integrated history and science block, and Tom made both come alive as we stopped to examine lightning-struck trees, beaver ponds, lichens, and seed pods for a full afternoon.
The full school hiked up into the Ossipee Range to study the unique geology of these mountains. At the Bald Knob cutoff students looked for extrusions and intrusions in the rock. What better way to combine history, science, backwoods ethics, and teamwork?
An excited group of students, staff and parents joined forces at the Sandwich Fair, creating a float that featured TCS’s Farmers’ Table lunches. Winning first prize for the best high school float, we also garnered the judges’ favorite ribbon in the vegetable display.
Evergreen Institute for Wellness is celebrating the Fall Equinox with a free all-day yoga event on Saturday, Sept. 24 at The Community School in South Tamworth. The day represents a gift to the community from Evergreen as it seeks to inspire and inform individual health and wellness. Starting at 9:00am, Carlene Sullivan of Symmetree Yoga, Pasha Marlowe of Holland Hill Yoga Studio, and Kripalu-certified instructor Sharon Boggess will be joined by other Valley yogis in offering yoga classes every hour on the hour until 4:00pm.
Evergreen board president Patricia McMurry points to the growing collaboration of health and healing practitioners as a means of improving the public’s health. “Evergreen is working with many of these professionals as a way to provide people with affordable and accessible wellness services in the Valley,” she said. “We’re offering this free event as an opportunity for people to explore the basics of yoga or to expand their current knowledge. This will be a fun day that celebrates the new season – one which represents a time of plenty as well as a time of change.”
This event is intended for everyone regardless of age or amount of experience. There will be classes for beginners, family yoga, balance and meditation, and ongoing Sun Salutations. Pose modifications for specific individual needs can also be accommodated. People are encouraged to take part in the yoga classes but they are also welcome to observe and simply enjoy the day.
Carlene Sullivan is known locally for her Snow Goddess appearances that seemingly can bring lots of powder to Valley ski areas. “Our intention for the day is to bring good fortune, seasonably good weather, peace, love and happiness to all in the Mt. Washington Valley,” she said.
Healthy snacks and fresh organic vegetables grown at The Community School will be available, along with fresh baked goods donated by Sunnyfield Bakery in Wonalancet. The event will take place rain or shine. Those wishing to participate in the yoga classes are encouraged to bring a yoga mat or towel, a water bottle, and to wear comfortable clothes.
For more information, email evergreenforwellness@gmail.com or call 651-7475.
We are pleased to announce the addition of Kathleen Flaccus to the staff as Environmental Sciences teacher. Flaccus’ twenty-five years of classroom experience ranges from AP courses in Chemistry and Environmental Science through the full spectrum of high school-level sciences.
Designated a Master Teacher in the Flagstaff United School District since 1995, Flaccus has not only motivated students in the classroom, she has served as a teacher-mentor at Northern Arizona University and, under the auspices of the National Science Foundation RET program, has contributed to the Fossil Creek Watershed Research and Education Project.
It was evident from the beginning of her career that Flaccus brought more into the classroom than mere content. Over the years she has earned numerous accolades including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (1996 and 2002), WalMart Teacher of the Year (1999), and most recently spent a year in South Africa with the Fulbright Teacher Exchange (2004).
The reason for her impressive record of success? “All of my teaching has been hands-on, with a special emphasis in getting the students involved with field experiences,” explains Flaccus.
Getting kids interested in real science may explain why Flaccus also became involved with the Envirothon. Begun in 1979, Envirothon is an annual competition open to sixth through twelfth graders, which involves learning about forestry, soils and land use, aquatic ecology, and wildlife coupled with a focus on a current environmental issue. Five of the ten Arizona student teams coached by Flaccus have won first place in state competition and gone on to compete at the international level.
Having chosen to leave fulltime teaching in 2010, Flaccus moved with her husband to New Hampshire where her family had multi-generational connections and they had visited frequently over the years. “When I left my teaching job in Flagstaff, I told my colleagues that I wanted to teach in a school with an outdoor emphasis, gardens, block schedules, and a collaborative model, never dreaming that a position would really open up here in Tamworth.”
However, just such an opening did occur! Loving the idea of co-teaching and of integrating different disciplines for the best possible learning experience, Flaccus has dived deep into the collaborative model that is the signature of The Community School. Since her hire this summer, she and other TCS teachers have been putting their heads together planning this year’s afternoon block class curriculum. Director Jenny Rowe states, “We are so pleased with the addition of Kathy Flaccus to our faculty and know that she will significantly expand and enrich our program.”
 After a recent Holland-Hill sponsored race Join us for the first annual Five for Farms – a 5K run/walk on Sunday, July 24 to benefit The Community School CSA Farm. Co-sponsored by Holland Hill Studio for Yoga and Fitness in Moultonborough, this all-terrain race will offer a course that takes advantage of the diverse landscape of The Community School’s 300-acre Bearcamp River Valley campus. Run alongside the school’s 4-acre CSA organic garden, across meadow trails, and down shady Bunker Hill Road.
Race start time: 8 am. Check-in time: 7:30 am. Registration: $20 for adults, $10 for kids under 12. And for kids 5 and under: FREE “loop around the farm” race at 9 am. All proceeds from the race go to soil amendments for the farm.
Come out and join us for this all-terrain summer celebration! All participants will receive a fresh bouquet of flowers from the farm and a gift certificate to Holland Hills Studio for Yoga and Fitness worth up to $100. Register now with Holland Hill Studio for Yoga and Fitness at 476-2476 or email pasha@hollandhillstudio.com.
The Community School, a fully accredited independent school for grades 6-12, located at 1164 Bunker Hill Road, South Tamworth, has been serving students from communities in central New Hampshire and western Maine since 1989. Students connect with the garden through hands-on classes in biology, botany, and chemistry and by helping to seed, plant, weed, harvest, and cook with the food harvested from the garden. Now accepting applications for fall 2011/2012. Financial aid still available.
The Community School seeks to provide programs in which people of all ages can reconnect with the natural environment, their heritage, and one another.
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Students presented their findings on beaver activity on the Perkins Farm to members of The Buildings and Grounds Committee. Mapping the beaver ponds using Google Earth, counting chewed stems and entrances to the three beaver lodges, observing remaining food supply, they then came up with a series of recommendations to manage the area. Of greatest concern is the flooded access to our forest lands. Here was one option:
Others included taking apart two dams, installing a “beaver deceiver” if needed. Trapping the beavers in a humane and legal way would be a final option.
