Director's Corner
Hello from Sibang Kaja, where we’re right at the start of Bali’s kite season. The layang-layang are flying high above us, twisting in the air above Green School as our buildings continue to rise from the earth.  It’s a beautiful sight, and, as Green School's Director, I’m reminded of the privilege I have to guide but also witness the work that goes into preparing our campus for you, our community of students, parents, and friends. In this issue, we’re focusing on what it means to be both a witness and an agent of change. Here at Green School, our founders John and Cynthia Hardy, have served as models for the power of identifying a problem then reaching out in practical and creative ways to solve it. Two years ago, they dreamed of a way to combine holistic education and hands-on learning with a passion for the planet’s health and now, thanks to their leadership and generosity, that vision is unfolding in front of us.  Recent visitors from the Wharton School, taking their business skills and applying them in a socially conscious way, engaged in a microfinance project that will help local growers of cacao and bamboo
to prosper. Our Open House last weekend allowed us to connect parents with teachers for the first time, all of them witnessing how far we’ve come in a few short months. This blend of awareness with the ability to devise exciting solutions is what we're all about. We live this ethic in the design of our classrooms and our curriculum, in our commitment to sustainability, and the way we deal with each other and with you. In the meantime, we’re getting ready for September 1st: please know we're here to listen and respond to the many questions that will arise between now and then. And as always, feel free to come and witness Green School yourself. Looking forward to crossing paths in Sibang Kaja.
~Brad Choyt, Director
More about Brad’s philosophy of education
Highlight Of The Week
Sweet Success
 Last week, Green School welcomed eight students from the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This dynamic group came to pioneer a microfinance project that will assist local farmers. This proven system, which links small loans with the teaching of basic business practices, has exploded across the developing world thanks to the work of its innovator, Muhammad Yunus. First, the students trained several staff members in the practice and ethics of microfinance so we can replicate the project on our own.  Then, with money they have raised, they provided local cacao growers with fermentation boxes, tools used to process the raw material needed for making chocolate. Once we are ready to manufacture our own chocolate--organic of course!--we'll have local suppliers to buy from, creating a sustainable relationship within our community. The students also worked with bamboo growers in the area to establish nurseries, creating yet another loop that connects us to our neighbors in positive and productive ways.
Notes from the Bamboo Nest
Leaping Lizards
 Once geckos find a spot to "decorate," they’re pretty consistent. But I didn't learn that right away, and found myself those first mornings hopping to the sink to wash away their offerings. Now a quick whisk of the 'jati,' or bamboo broom, lets me usher the results of reptile digestion straight to the compost bin. Our resident lizards—Igor, Mick, and Sling--creep out at dusk and gather at the lights, which pull in insects the way an African watering hole attracts zebras and hippos. Then the geckos, like lions, wait for and pounce on unsuspecting prey. It’s the Lizard Channel at our house, except that it's occurring in real time and in three dimensions. My son told me that people's minds are more active when they're asleep than when they watch TV.
That strikes me as true, and even though no one's been voted off the island or had to sing yet, this is the best show I've seen in years. How great all we need is the glow from an energy-efficient bulb. But Igor and friends aren’t just entertainment. As the sky darkens, I sit there with Brad and the kids and savor the animals’ wily moves, the flicker of candles, and the tolerance of humans who accept me, even when I step in gecko poop. But there's another layer, too. These scaly guys with the ability to dance forty feet above the ground are starting to feel like my extended family, creatures with whom I share a home and a connection.
Copyright © 2008 Charlotte Bacon
Illustration by Ryan Dineen
Walking the Talk
 Bill Kizorek
May 16th, 2008
Bill Kizorek, chief executive of Two Parrot Productions makes professional videos that highlight the efforts of charities worldwide. He came to Green School, filmed our campus and our people, and left us with these words: "What an amazing, refreshing, innovative concept of education.”
The author of nine books, Bill has appeared on or helped produce segments for the Oprah Show, 20/20, BBC (radio and television), A&E Channel, AM Singapore, and the four major US television networks.
Read more about Bill, pickpockets, and killer ants
Campus Chorus
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Generating a lot of interest, the water vortex is an experiment in micro-hydro electricity. Once up and running, it will provide sustainable electricity for our school. |
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“In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, we will understand only what we have been taught.”
~Baba Dioum, Senegalese conservationist
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Photo Gallery
Meet Our Teachers
Here are the latest agents of change coming to Sibang Kaja: Victor Prussack, Johnny Ryan, and Katy Wrede have joined our faculty.
 Victor will teach Year 7/8 and moves to Sibang in July from California. Johnny has recently arrived from New Zealand with his family and will teach Year 3/4. Katy, our Learning Resource Specialist, is relocating from Jakarta. Parents and students had the chance to meet them at our May 25th Open House and get a sense of who they really are! Here Johnny considers an alteration in diet now that he’s moved to Bali.
Before and After
As part of our ongoing series of “before” and “after” scenes,
we present to you Classroom 4.
Green People
 Carol Duval
Master Teacher
Year 5/6
2008-2009
At the heart of Carol’s teaching philosophy, developed over 30 years, lie these words of Rudolf Steiner: “We must recognize in the children who are born today, a preview of what must be developed in the coming generations: we must learn to educate prophetically.” Al Gore recently dared us to become the generation that writers, poets, and artists of the future will celebrate for rising to this challenge. It is Carol’s firm belief that Green School will be in the vanguard of this ‘Great Turning.’ We also took this opportunity to ask Carol some important questions about herself, starting, of course, with her opinion of durian.
What do you think of durian?
Not much! But moving to Bali might offer me a final opportunity to try it or overcome my longstanding durian phobia.
What are you most looking forward to about moving to Bali ?
Perhaps what I'm most looking forward to is a Balinese sunset with the rapidly darkening sky full of stars, the watery rice fields reflecting the moon, the tall dark trees, the smell of earth, and the sound of frogs. Quite a pleasant change from the ever-present orange glow from London's street lights and the roar of 747s taking off from Heathrow.
Read more about Carol Duval
Kul-Kul Calendar
Upcoming Event:
 Green School Open House
Sunday, June 15th
Come join us for an Open House and bring along friends and family for an energizing afternoon. As always, we start at 3 pm and finish at 5 pm. Please RSVP to (0361) 469-875 or write to us at info@greenschool.org.
Recent Event:
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Green School Open House
Sunday, May 25th
We welcomed more than 80 visitors, including Krisna and his mother. He may look innocent, but click here to see what Krisna’s really made of! |
About Green School
 Green School opens in September 2008 for students in Preschool and Kindergarten through Year Eight, with highly talented students and faculty from communities in Bali and around the world. Our beautiful eight-hectare Kul-Kul Campus is located in Sibang Kaja, Bali, 15 minutes north of Denpasar or 20 minutes south of Ubud.
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