Cultural Reporter Blog #1: Prairie Hill Learning Center

              Renewable energy education center. (February 20, 2009). Retrieved December 19, 2011, from: http://www.facebook.com/pages/PRAIRIE-HILL-Learning-Center/52954928694/

Not your everyday school house…eh? Believe it or not, the building in the photo above is located just seven miles south of Lincoln, as the first and only solar-powered schoolhouse in the state of Nebraska. According to the school's official website, 

"Prairie Hill Learning Center is a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of offering Montessori education for children with an emphasis on meeting the individual and communal developmental needs of each child in a historic indoor and a country outdoor environment” (www.prairiehill.com).

Prairie Hill Learning Center is an environmentally friendly school. It is powered by wind and solar energy, giving students a Montessori-based education that encourages child-originated ideas, self-developing and independent activity learning methods. This school is located on a farm, raising environmentally conscious children by providing a platform for learning about renewable energy, waste management, gardening, meal planning and preparation, caring for animals and much more. Serving  students between the ages of 18 months and 8^th grade, Prairie Hill opened its doors in 1981 and is celebrating its 30^th Anniversary this year (www.prairiehill.com; www.prairiehill.com/programs; www.farmtoschool.org).

To give you a taste of the cultural atmosphere established at Prairie Hill,  below is a statement from the school's website:

"PRAIRIE HILL is a place where children as young as 1-1/2 years old can:
·       Collect eggs from chickens
·       Groom a pony after having a ride
·       Catch snowflakes on their mittens
·       Take a nature walk at their pace
·       Go bird-watching on a crisp autumn morning
·       Cut fresh flowers and arrange them in a small vase
·       Harvest produce from the garden or orchard, wash and eat them for lunch
·       Experience the beginning of the life cycle as they observe lambs and chicks
·       Learn how to care for their bodies and personal belongings
·       Wash their hands as many times as they want
·       Choose activities independently or with a small group
·       Serve themselves food and offer some to another person
·       Pour themselves a drink of water" (www.prairiehill.com).

According to the PHLC website, it can be understood that students who attend Prairie Hill gain a respect for nature through the development programs that are established and encouraged by the school. This natural learning process is supported and carried out through Montessori educational methods. Students engage in the development of life cycles, animal management and gardening skills. These are just a few examples of what Prairie Hill has to say about the learning environment within it's cultural space (www.prairiehill.com; www.prairiehill.com/programs/; www.prairiehill.com/farm-environment/; www.farmtoschool.org). 

Here is the "Lay of the Land" at Prairie Hill Learning Center:

The lay of  the land. (n.d). Retrieved December 19, 2011, from: http://prairiehill.com/farm-environment/

The following video clip will give you an idea of students’ hands-on learning experience. This clip was retrieved from the Prairie Hill School youtube channel and was uploaded on September 15, 2009. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/prairiehillschool#p/u/3/3Zg3q9WqHco

According to "Parent Reviews of Prairie Hill Learning Center", an anonymous parent (2006) stated,

“Prairie Hill Learning Center is an amazing school! The country setting is perfect for my child's love of nature and animals. She gets to ride ponies every week, feed the ducks, gather eggs, work in the garden, recycle, etc. I love that she gets to help plan the menu, prepare the food, eat family style, and use real tableware. She is excited about and interested in reading, math, botany, zoology, and geography. The elementary school is a straw bale construction building. The school is in the process of installing wind and solar power. Students will be able to monitor energy usage and savings as a part of their math studies. Parents are given numerous opportunities to be involved in their child's program through observations, conferences, and volunteer work. Do your child a favor and check this school out! I have never seen anything quite like it” (www.greatschools.org).

After few short conversations with Prairie Hill parents, I was left gushing over the philosophy and culture of this countryside school in Roca, NE. As a graduate of a parochial elementary school and small town high school, I wanted to learn more about the methods of Montessori education and Prairie Hill Learning Center. For years, I’d driven past the school and never really thought much of it… until the family I nannied for one summer chose to send their two-year-old daughter to Montessori school just north of Fremont, Nebraska.   

Over the course of this Cultural Reporter Project, I plan to research Montessori education and observe Prairie Hill's learning environment and cultural space. I also hope to utilize local articles written on PHLC.  I look forward to exposing myself to the culture at Prairie Hill and reporting back to our class near the end of the semester. 

References

About PRAIRIE HILL Montessori School | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. (n.d.). About PRAIRIE HILL Montessori School | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from http://prairiehill.com/

Farm Environment | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. (n.d.). About PRAIRIE HILL Montessori School | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from http://prairiehill.com/farm-environment/

FarmtoSchool.org. (n.d.). Farm to school programs. Retrieved September 25, 2011, from http://www.farmtoschool.org/state-programs.php?action=detail&id=53&pid=89

Parent Reviews of Prairie Hill Learning Center - Roca, Nebraska. (2006, December 8). GreatSchools - Public and private school ratings, reviews and parent community. Retrieved September 25, 2011, from http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=1551&state=NE#from..HeaderLink

Prairie Hill School. (2009, September 15). Prairie hill - gardening and ecology. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zg3q9WqHco&lr=1

Programs | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. (n.d.). About PRAIRIE HILL Montessori School | PRAIRIE HILL Learning Center. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from http://prairiehill.com/programs/