The Woolman Semester was a

semester school A semester school is a school that complements a student's secondary education by providing them with the opportunity to step out of their regular school for half an academic year and step into a uniquely different educational setting while continui ...

focused on the intersections of peace, social justice, and sustainability. The school operated from the Spring of 2004 through the Spring of 2016. Students came from all over the country to attend Woolman for a single semester during their high school junior, senior, or

gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...

. Students spent a semester deeply immersed in contemporary topics and exploring issues first hand . Students worked with each other, staff and interns to run the daily operations of the school, including cooking meals, chopping firewood, and growing and harvesting the food eaten at the school. The classes of the program were Global Thinking, Peace Studies, Environmental Science, Non-violent Communication, Ceramics, and Farm to Table. Woolman is the only Quaker (Friends) semester school in the country, and in accordance with the philosophy of Quaker Education the Woolman Semester curriculum centers around collaboration, activism, and open inquiry into local and global issues.

General information

The campus is nestled in the Sierra foothills on 236 acres of field and forest. The nearest towns are

Grass Valley A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...

and

Nevada City, California Nevada City (originally, ''Ustumah'', a Nisenan village; later, Nevada, Deer Creek Dry Diggins, and Caldwell's Upper Store) is the county seat of Nevada County, California, United States, northeast of Sacramento, southwest of Reno and northeas ...

. The Woolman Semester began in spring of 2004, after a two-year restructuring period. Previously, the campus had been home to the

John Woolman School John Woolman School (JWS) was a private boarding Quaker high school founded in 1963 in Nevada City, California. It operated full-time until 2001, when it closed because of financial difficulties. Since then, the facility has been adapted for use ...

, a four year high school that served the community from 1963 to 2001.

The mission of the school was to weave together peace, sustainability, and social action into an intensely rigorous academic experience.

Academics

Woolman Semester enriched a typical high school curriculum with college-level, seminar-style course work and experiential opportunities that promote lifelong learning, personal growth and intellectual commitment. The core classes of the program: Environmental Science, Global Issues, and Peace Studies yield Environmental Science credit, Economics and Government credit, and English credit. Additional classes provide art credit and elective credits. Woolman is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Students and staff spent much of the day in small, rigorous academic classes, with substantial time devoted to the hands-on work of the community: the garden and orchard, the kitchen, and the forest. Teaching and learning is part of a collaborative community process that includes classroom work, independent projects, and off-campus trips.

References

{{Reflist Semester schools Private schools in California Boarding schools in California Quaker schools in California Education in Nevada County, California Buildings and structures in Nevada City, California 2004 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 2004 2016 disestablishments in California Educational institutions disestablished in 2016

General information

Academics

See also

References