Share Your Memories
Thank you for being part of this story. Below you'll find interview questions tailored to your connection to the school, plus instructions for sharing photos and audio recordings.
How to Participate
Read the Interview Questions
Choose the questionnaire that fits your connection — student, parent, or teacher. Answer as many or as few as you like. There are no wrong answers and no required questions.
Write, Record, or Both
You can type your answers in a document, or record yourself speaking. Audio recordings of interviews are especially valuable for the book.
Share Your Photos
Dig through your albums! Classroom moments, field trips, festivals, graduation — any photos from your time at The New City School are welcome.
Send Everything to Us
Email your written answers, audio recordings, and photos to [email protected]. Feel free to include anything not covered by the questions — your own reflections, opinions, and stories matter just as much.
Interview Questions
A note before you begin: These questions are meant as prompts, not requirements. Feel free to answer as many or as few as you like — even one thoughtful response is a gift. And if something important to you isn't covered here, please share it anyway. Your own reflections, stories, and opinions are just as valuable as anything we thought to ask.
- 1.
What years did you attend New City School?
- 2.
When you close your eyes and think of the New City campus (the classrooms, the organic garden, the playground), what is the very first thing you see, hear, or smell?
- 3.
Unlike many other schools, you stayed with the same teachers for three years in your "Pods" (El Mar, La Tierra, Las Montañas). What was it like having that much time with the same teachers and classmates?
- 4.
We didn't use a lot of worksheets or traditional textbooks, especially in math. What do you remember about how you learned math, science, or reading?
- 5.
Do you remember the Student-Led Conferences, where you had to present your Learning Record to your parents? How did it feel to be in charge of explaining your own progress?
- 6.
If you stayed through 8th grade, what do you remember about your 8th Grade Committee Presentation?
- 7.
You learned in both English and Spanish. How has being bilingual (or being in a bilingual environment) affected your life since leaving New City?
- 8.
Our teachers didn't use traditional punishments like detention; they tried to talk through conflicts and focus on "wellness." Did you feel respected by the adults at the school? Can you share a time a teacher helped you through a difficult moment?
- 9.
What do you remember about the field trips, the weekly learning excursions, or the big festivals (like the music and dance festivals)?
- 10.
Looking back, how do you think going to New City School made you different from kids who went to traditional public schools?