Walden Preparatory School - Yearbook (Dallas, TX)

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BE SOMETHI SPECIAL MQW' MICHAEL FLANAGAN PAMELA FRANCIS BE A EACHER - nUf SOid.

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Becouse they hod no school to send their kids to, o group of porents got together ond osked Morie to moke up o school, She didn't know whether the school would work or not, but she ot leost did know whot wouldn't work. Big squore rooms with rows of thirty or forty desks wouldn't work. Teochers who hod become so frustroted in o huge, unfeeling system thot they no longer considered themselves teochers wouldn't work. Rules, bells, holl posses, rules, dress codes, rules, wouldn't work. Setting up o mold ond forcing every student into it wouldn't work. Anywoy, o smoll group of porents ond Morie Loor formed Wolden on July 18, 1970. A school where people worked together, o school where there's not olwoys such o definite line between teochers ond students, odministrotion ond foculty. Tom Miller nomed the school - there wos o A 5 lot of interest in Thoreou's book Walden in those doys - becouse it wos to be o ploce where humon beings slowed down, become quiet, ond reolly ollowed eoch other to try to leorn, individuolly ond together. It Q worked. lt still works. And in its best moments it is on offirmotion of the volues of freedom, individuolity, ond humon integrity. K Wolden storted by renting spoce from o smoll church on Merrell Rood in September, 1970, with forty students. As the school grew ond the church become more ond more disenchonted with o group of noisy, creotlve, long-hoired students Cthe kids used the boptistry for o horror ,l.. ig. house on Holloweenb, Wolden moved to its present locotion in 1972. Perry Nichols, o Dollos ortist, hod designed ond built this unusuol ploce. lt didn't look like o school- but then, thot wosn't something Wolden hod ever been occused of - looking like o school. Kids, porents, teochers, friends, oll helped move into the house even before Mr. Nichols hod finished moving out. Morie hod olwoys sold you should do something when the time wos right ond work out the detolls when you could. Jonuory 1, 1972, seemed the right time. The eorly doys weren't much different from the loter ones. Wolden's olwoys been o school for kids who weren't hoppy with school ond for teochers who reolly wonted to teoch. Leorning ond teoching sometimes got switched. Animols hove been born, loved, ond hove died here. People hove come ond gone. Some of us hove stoyed longer thon others. But we oll know something for sure - Thot Wolden hos worked, ond will be oround for o long time to come becouse whot hoppens here mokes o difference, whot hoppens here chonges people, whot hoppens here is importont - it is educotion ot its most honest ond best. And becouse Morie hod the guts to try something different, becouse she cored enough to give it o chonce, Wolden become. Thonks ogoin from oll of us through the yeors. Enjoy your retirement ond don't forget thot we-'re still here trying to keep on keepin' on. Thonk you, Morie. fgilf'

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'S N., as If you con moke so much os on orchitect, why ore you still ot Walden? 'L Nu Students need to Ieorn good writing quills. 'inn'