Tribute to Billie Fahrner
By Pat Montgomery, Founder Editor’s Note: Earlier this month, we lost a dear member of our school community. Billie Fahrner was a Clonlara School parent, staff member, and board member. She is remembered and celebrated here by Founder Pat Montgomery, her colleague and friend. I met Billie Fahrner in 1965 when I taught her brother […]
A Parent’s Perspective on Clonlara’s Early Elementary (K–2) Program
By Clonlara School We interviewed Sally, the parent of a 6-year-old Clonlara School student, to get some insight into her family’s decision to choose our Campus Program. Her answers offer a glimpse into learning in the early years at Clonlara as well as advice for families considering our school for their young children. Tell us a […]
Brooke (Bargowski) Vega ’07: Entrepreneur, Author, and Purveyor of Positivity
By Clonlara School Next time you sign your “John Hancock” on an important document, you might think about Clonlara 2007 graduate Brooke (Bargowski) Vega. Brooke recently wrote and self-published a book, Create a Signature You Love. While many believe cursive writing is becoming a lost art, Brooke turns that notion on its head. Her book […]
How to Help Students Take Charge of Their Learning
By Melissa Lefevre, Online Program Teacher Have you ever sat through a course—eyes glazed over as you are inundated with seemingly useless information—and thought, “how does this apply to me?” If you have, you are on to something. It is important to ask this question. Life is too short to sit idle and unengaged, dragging […]
Everett DuBois ’17: Man in Motion
By Clonlara School You may have already “met” Everett DuBois. Donned in his green Commencement garb, Everett graced the cover of Clonlara School’s 50th Anniversary Impact Report, his ear-to-ear grin welcoming readers to a celebration of Clonlara’s belief that “learning begins with curiosity.” While enrolled at the school, and since graduating in 2017, Everett has […]
Enjoying Poetry in the Younger Years
“I’m a great believer in poetry out of the classroom, in public places, on subways, trains, on cocktail napkins. I’d rather have my poems on the subway than around the seminar table at an MFA program.” —Billy Collins (U.S. Poet Laureate) By April Huard, Off-Campus Program Advisor As a poetry lover, I jumped at the […]
“Structure” Is Not a Bad Word
By Chandra Montgomery Nicol, Executive Director As many of you may know, my mother, Pat Montgomery, founded Clonlara School. She envisioned a place where kids could learn in an environment that allowed them to make their own choices and pursue their curiosity and creativity. Clonlara’s Campus Program still provides such a model, in which students […]
Blake Boles @ Clonlara School
By Clonlara School On September 20, 2018, Clonlara School hosted Blake Boles for his talk titled, “Yes, you can quit traditional high school and everything will be okay!” Blake shared his personal education journey and passion for self-directed learning with the school community, and inspired the audience with accounts of teens who, like many Clonlara students, […]
Top 5 Tips for Online Learners
By Donna Iadipaolo, Online Program Teacher Many students succeed and reach new heights through online learning in part because of its flexibility, personalization, and content focus. The online learner decides when he or she needs to study, work through math problems, or write papers, along with many other tasks. But with this freedom comes more […]
Your Child Is Already Learning
By Clonlara School Editor’s Note: This article was adapted from Clonlara School’s Off-Campus Program Education Guide, which our homeschooling families receive upon enrollment. Clonlara School was founded on the belief that “living is learning” and that most everything a child does involves learning of one sort or another. Students do not need to be reading […]
Excerpt from The School That’s Inside You
By Pat Montgomery, Founder Editor’s Note: Clonlara School Founder Pat Montgomery’s book, The School That’s Inside You, is available in both print and digital format. In this excerpt from Chapter 2, Pat shares a personal story of how graduate school influenced her thinking on education, but parenthood “propelled” her to start a school of her own. […]
Congratulations, Class of 2018!
By Kevin Fitzgerald, Editor Clonlara School’s Class of 2018 included more than 80 graduates from across the United States and around the world. They each had their own individual passions and took much of the responsibility for designing and following their own path toward meeting their educational goals. Because of this, we know that they will maintain their […]
