School Around Us programming director – the co-learning community’s first- joined the staff in January. Tammy Wells Photo

ARUNDEL – More than 50 years ago, School Around Us forged a different path in their quest to provide  children with an education. Two years ago, the school transitioned to a co-learning community.

Now, School Around Us has hired its first director of programming.

Will Gowen joined SAU in the role in January. He is a native of Buffalo, New York, and most recently lived in Michigan, teaching social studies at a public charter school there before his return east.

“I see myself as coordinator,” said Gowen on a recent school day, a coordinator  who is connected to stakeholders and staff, conducts fundraising, writes grants, steps into the classroom to teach upon occasion and so on. And he wants to forge a greater connection between School Around Us and others – connections that continue over time.

“I’m looking to build community partnerships with organizations that can overlap and intersect with our programs,” he said. “Connect our learners to the world.”

That could mean implementing skiing programs, teaching animal tracking skills, short story writing, and more.

“We want to build more concrete, and stronger bonds in the community,” more than just an occasional fun thing, he said.

Gowen acts as the leader of the co-learning community, practicing consent decision- making, rather than consensus. It is a tenet of the sociocracy movement, which pegs consent decisions as those where no one has an objection – rather than consensus, where the goal is for everyone to agree.

Gowen, 32, has a master’s degree in teaching from Brown University, a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College, a certificate in sustainable agriculture from the University of Vermont, and is certified certified practitioner and facilitator of sociocracy according to his LinkedIn account.

He said he does not see himself as a “sociocracy evangelist,” but enjoys the participatory environment.

“We try to make sure people are not left out,” he said. And he said the practice allows SAU to be more agile and flexible.

“It melds together collective decision making with efficient hierarchy,” he said.

Gowen was chosen as director from a field of three well-qualified candidates, said enrollment director Lauren Tenney.

She said Gowen is a skilled and experienced educator with an excellent educational background, is thoughtful, reflective, and considerate, thinks big about innovation in education today, and has background in community development

“He is also passionate about bringing democratic governance into school administration and into the classroom, which is aligned with SAU longstanding participatory model of education,” she said. “We were impressed with his warmth and ease with young people when he visited in person before we made him the offer.”

Currently SAU has an enrollment of about 26 young people in its programs, a figure which is expected to increase a bit this spring. The school transitioned to the co-learning model – which some call a learning center- for youngsters 5-13 years-old in the fall of 2020. That means students who attend classes here are considered homeschool students by the state; they receive instruction at SAU as part of their education.

As well as hiring Gowen, SAU is also preparing to hire another teacher, for the 5–7-year-olds, this fall.

Gowen said when he arrived at SAU, he was struck by the community feel – he pointed out as an example that parents built the cubbies where students store their belongings for the day.

“It’s a different feel from other teaching experiences.” he said. “And we’re here to make sure parents feel connected and more involved.”