These Students Couldn't Wait For School To Start

It's not unusual for students 0 be anxious to get back to chool after summer vacation. Many, in fact, are just as mxious to return as they veré to get out of school in Fuñe. But 32 Pioneer II High School students apparently iked school so much last year ;hey didn't mind delaying the start of their vacations in lune by a week and then returning to the Fritz Building a week before classes are to resumé. The students voluntarily met every morning last week in sessions designed to plan activities and procedures at Pioneer II for the coming school year, which starts Wednesday. Specifically, the students discussed proposed activities for the first two weeks of school this fall, which have been set aside as orientation weeks, according to Alian Schreiber, coördinator of Pioneer II. They also talked about how the school should opérate in genérally evaluating possible procedures for group decision-making. 1 The decisions which the 32 Istudents have made will not Ibe binding on the majority :_41 stüdeñts'- 'whohaer not attended the week-long planning sessions. All of the students were invited. The proposals will merely be presented to the rest of the stu(dents, said Schreiber. Goal of the students who have been meeting.is a smoother and quicker start Ithis year than last year when I Pioneer II, filled as Ann bor's experimental public "free school," didn't start until six weeks after the school year began. The students were first housed in the Jones Building after Pioneer II got under way and then were moved to the Fritz Building. During the two-week orientation, Schreiber s a i d the Pioneer II students will be studying some of the processes involved in education - "particularly in the kind of open education we envision." iThis will involved creative problem-solving techniques, getting to know each other Imore intimately and some Igame and role-playing exercises. ____ Concerning the general operation of the school, students last week debated whether general school meetings should be held once a week or, perhaps, twice a week with smaller group meetings in between. Questions of parliamentary procedure versus a more "open" type of format and whether individual' s proposals for the school should have to be written out in advance of general school meetings were also discussed. "None of the teachers who carne to Pioneer II last year were trained for a free school," Schreiber p o i n t e d out. "None of the students were prepared either. Some came because they wanted to study, others because they wanted to avoid the hassle. "This year we don't want them to goof off or be lost. We want the students to realize that chances are they willj be working harder." Co-directors supervised ' Pioneer II last year but a sinele coördinator has been as-, signed this year. School , cipal is Joseph Pollack of Pioneer I. Robin Franklin and Thomas Dodd are members of the Pioneer II staff and a part-time teacher may be added later, said Schreiber. For accreditation purposes, Pioneer II rematas a department or sateUite of Pioneer I.. Pollack handles administrative details - such as attendance records - for Pioneer II . while Schreiber is responsible for the educational program. According to Schreiber, he and the other two staff members observed last week that "the students have a more 'together' attitude. Last year this developed as the year went on. This year we wül have it at the start; everyone will feel comfortable with each other hopefully." Seventy-three students have enrolled to attend Pioneer II so far, though that number is expected to increase by the end of next week. This year Pioneer U's doors have been opened to students outside ofi Pioneer I, including ninth graders at all four junior high schools and Huron High students. The 33-year-old Schreiber admits, however, that " a big selling job was not done in the schools." Fifty of the 73 who have enrolled are Pioneer II returnees. Schreiber, a native of Ann Arbor, admits that there were certain "problems" at Pioneer II last year "just as there would be in any experiment of this type. There will be problems at Community High School this year. People should be more critical of us this year than last year because it's our second year. "We're concerned about some of the negative wordof-mouth comment in the community about Pioneer II. I think one would really have to spend some time visiting the school to really know what's going on. Much of the criticism has been undeserved." Despite any disappointments there may have been last year, however, Schreiber observes t h a t students are "anxious for school to start. Attitudes are reallv good."