Our History
The Ark was founded by myself, Adina Priel, in 1999.
The idea began when, as a new parent, I found myself researching different school options for my son, Noah. I felt frustrated and dismayed when I realized that I would have to accept a hard-to-find space at a center which did not represent what I knew had to be possible - somewhere - a caring place for joyful, individualized, responsive learning and growing. A place where students move forwards without being rushed and when they have mastered content - not when they’re reached a certain birthday or sat in a classroom for a certain amount of time.
It seemed that parents were required to make a choice between traditional play-based, “Toys R Us” environments, or subdued and inflexible traditional or overly-rigid Montessori environments. What place did an individual child’s development have within these theoretically-based pedagogical environments? About 30 years ago, the Reggio Emilia, emergent curriculum approach to learning was beginning to be taught to new teachers in the Western field of education. There were less than a handful of centers dedicated to exploring this flexible approach. Up until today, pedagogical approaches to understanding children and the learning process are mutually exclusive; each ‘camp’ unwilling to consider the merits of the other, remaining rather entrenched, disconnected and misinformed. I did not feel comfortable with any of these choices. I asked myself as to ‘why’ parents needed to be in such a position, obliged to make disappointing and sometimes unsettling choices – was there no other way?
Realizing that there was nothing to stop me from taking what is recognized as the best in Early Childhood pedagogy, current educational theory and new science-based neurological developmental understanding of behaviour and implementing it all into a cohesive program, led us to what is The Ark Elementary School as we now know it.
While what I have expressed myself here about educational/philosophical approaches to current educational practices, I must also emphasize that I, as a parent, was looking for a special ‘feeling’ of connectedness, a high degree family participation as co-educators who shared an enthusiasm for a collaborative and natural learning process. I felt that my son needed a place with warm, loving staff who would recognize my son’s individual needs (he had lots!) while offering firm guidance, boundary-setting and positive reinforcement while maintaining high expectations, not just strict discipline, which I have always tended to see as more punitive.
Lastly, in addition to all the above, I needed a space completely dedicated to social skill development - verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Social and emotional literacy, not just academic literacy. I wanted the creation of a school that could truly embrace a holistic, social and emotional, blended pedagogical approach and that meant finding committed, highly intelligent educators, who knew instinctively, and from experience, that “there had to be another way” to meet children where they are at, who were willing to take the road less taken and run with it.
Well, we are still running (fast!) 25 years later. Parents and other educators, like ourselves, are instinctively realizing the inability of traditional programs to rise to meet the needs and rights of the children of today and the unique challenges they face. We must be brave to take committed action to do things differently, and then unsurprisingly, healthy space can be made for something better - magically, happy children who cry on the weekend because it is not a school day! Yes, this is true! Just ask our school community!
“I started a a seed, a pale seed, but then you picked me up and turned me into a bud. After, I turned into a flower.“
— Charlotte, age 7
“Thank you for teaching me and telling me not to give up”.
— Alex, age 9
“Thank you for believing in me. If I wasn’t here, you would still believe in me even on the other side of a river.”
— Ezekiel, age 7
“ You are the nice, even when we lie to you.”
— Allison, age 7
“ I know you will never give upon me. Thanks for the compliments and feedback.”