Blue Mountain School Donor Appreciation Brunch and Fundraiser
-The following first appeared in the Floyd Press on October 17, 2024
A Donor Brunch hosted at Red Rooster Coffee Roaster to benefit Blue Mountain School (BMS) brought together school founders, supporters, alumni, and current parents and teachers to celebrate the school’s 43-year history and to raise money for its continued success.
The early October ticketed event included speakers, a candle lighting for those impacted by Hurricane Helene, a guided meditation, a group song, a video slide show of the school’s early days and a silent auction. A full brunch, prepared with locally sourced ingredients, and award-winning roasted coffee from Red Rooster was served buffet style and enjoyed under a large tent adjacent to the Red Rooster building.
Blue Mountain School Executive Director Tammie Sarver welcomed the crowd and expressed her gratitude for their support. “We’re grateful for the care and connection you all have shown BMS all of these 43 years. We know that gratitude is an essential part of well-being, and we work to instill that every day in our students,” she said.
“I often think of the courage of those first families who founded our beautiful school,” Sarver continued before asking the school founders, along with past and present teachers to stand for a round of applause. More applause broke out when Sarver reported a recent raise in teacher’s salaries.
“I’m amazed that the experiment is still going on,” said BMS Board President Greg Sherman from the speaker’s podium. He talked about making a conscious decision to practice what matters most and to immerse children in things that matter in the long term and make a difference.
Haden Poleseno-Hensley, Red Rooster co-owner, BMS parent and board Vice President, spoke about a three-tiered matching funds campaign, made up from donations from business owners, community members and an anonymous BMS alumni donor that went to BMS with Poleseno-Hensley when they were young children in 1981-82.
Redefining success as more than profitably, BMS board Treasurer Rose McCutchan addressed attendees, saying, “At 43-years old with a student enrollment of over 70 and waiting list, attracting talented educators from all over the world, BMS is a thriving.
McCutchan, a BMS parent of two and co-owner of Red Rooster with Polseno-Hensley, noted that the raise in teacher’s salaries also meant an increase in tuition, a decision that received school-wide support. “But the goal is to never lose a family due to tuition expense,” she said, outlining the school’s plan to offset that, which includes a sliding scale payment tier and fundraising.
McCutchan explained the school’s model for strategic growth: grow when the money presents itself, avoid long-term debt, seek and welcome volunteer help, dream big but stay realistic. She stated that along with the school’s primary program, the school offers an afterschool program, a highly successful summer camp series, after school clubs and a one-of-a-kind kindergarten and elementary Forest School Program, all of which contribute to the school’s operational costs.
Studies by the National Institute of Health have found that students who enjoyed outdoor education experienced increased standardized test scores, enhanced attitude about school, improved in-school behavior, improved attendance, and overall enhanced student achievement. BMS has made outdoor learning a priority. The school’s Forest Program Director Jenni Heartway reported that students spend 50% of the school day outside.
David Choquette, one of several BMS teachers that spoke from the podium, shared his experiences teaching outside and at the school’s Outdoor Learning Lab, an outdoor covered deck. “You can preach to kids all day about ecology and environmental stewardship, or you can put them out in nature and let them love it,” said Choquette, who has a background in public school teaching, summer camp counseling and facilitating therapeutic wilderness camps.
“We’re looking for bugs under logs. We’re doing Science. We’re learning about forces, motions, tension, compression, wind, gravity, friction and teamwork for sure,” Choquette said. He explained his idea of academic rigor, noting that teachers at BMS don’t give tests or grades. “I think not having grades is actually what makes BMS academically rigorous. We don’t settle for someone else’s standard. We set our own standard. We try things wouldn’t try if we were just looking for an A, B or C.”
Photos – 1. Blue Mountain School supporters socialize and line up to sign name tags for the Donor Brunch on October 6th. 2. Brunch is served up. 3. Luke Staengl (blue hat), one of the school’s founders, mingles in the crowd. A BMS alumni is pictured to Staengl’s right 4. Red Rooster head baker Katie Reany (right) is a Blue Mountain School alumni. 5. BMS Executive Director Tammie Sarver invites Jagadisha Rotella, the school’s Enrichment Mindfulness Teacher, to the stage to lead attendees in a brief meditation. 6. Brunch attendees listen to BMS Board President Greg Sherman speak from the podium. 7. BMS Board Treasurer Rose McCutchan was one of several speakers to address the crowd. McCutchan is a BMS parent of two and co-owner of Red Rooster with Haden Polseno-Hensley.