The Marin School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The Marin School is a small, private high school located in Sausalito, California. The school is named after the county in which it is located (Marin County). Current enrollment (as of 2/8/08) is 90 students.

[edit] History

The Marin School, formerly known as North Bay Marin School, was founded in 1980 and originally included both a middle school and high school. In the early years NBMS was set up as a behavioral model and enrolled mostly public school students who were seeking an alternative to public education. The school accepted a wide range of students with varying levels of creativity, academic ability and motivation. Small classes, close monitoring and the attention given to each individual appealed to students with mild learning difficulties as well as those with social/emotional challenges.

In the mid-80’s, NBMS split into two schools (North Bay Marin School and North Bay Orinda School), but remained a single corporation with a single Board of Directors. In 1989, the current Head of School, Barbara Schakel, was hired as a part-time English teacher. In 1995, the former Head resigned, and the Board asked Ms. Schakel to assume the responsibilities of Head of School. In 1998, NBMS separated from NBOS, established a new non-profit corporation, and created a new Board of Directors..

In 2002, the Board of Trustees, in collaboration with various constituencies in the school, created a new Mission Statement and new name for the school, The Marin School. The current Mission Statement reads as follows: Our mission is to provide a collaborative learning environment that inspires creativity, integrity and academic excellence.

[edit] Transformation

In recent years, The Marin School has expanded its curricular offerings and now has a strong focus in multimedia, technology and the arts. Classes are interactive and workshops allow teachers and students to review homework and check for understanding. The school continues to offer small classes, individualized attention, experiential opportunities and an online tracking system that includes daily assignments, biweekly grade updates and daily progress statistics. The “Outside the Walls” program, a series of curriculum-related field trips, is designed to give students a real-world application of their classroom learning.

The school continues to enroll students with varied interests and abilities from different socio-economic backgrounds but no longer targets students with emotional/social difficulties. The school also supports 18% of its student body with financial assistance. TMS offers small classes with an average of eight students, a small student/teacher ratio, an experiential college-preparatory curriculum, and a focus on the individual. Graduates from TMS matriculate to a broad range of universities and liberal arts colleges across the country.