The Quick Scoop
 
Shade Canyon is an initiative to start a tuition-free, Waldorf-inspired public charter school in Kelseyville, CA, aiming to open its doors for all Lake County students in September of 2022. With a program designed to address the whole child, Shade Canyon seeks to honor the unique spark of each student and nurture them as they unfold to their full potential.
 
We’ve been working for two years building community, researching, designing the school, and completing our 200-page petition. Now, we need your help.
 
All Shade Canyon team members are volunteers, and 100% of your donation will go directly to administrative costs:
 
— Essential start-up legal fees (charter law firm review of our petition to make sure it’s as airtight as possible, as well as nonprofit setup and guidance)
— Membership renewal with California Charter School Association (we are currently part of their New School Growth Program, which offers invaluable resources and advocacy)
— Web hosting costs
— Promotional materials
— Community-building events
 
We’d be honored to have you join us in bringing this school to life in Lake County.

 
The Fuller Picture
 
Shade Canyon would offer a time-tested education model that is not yet available in Lake County, a rural agricultural area that is rich in natural beauty but sparser in economic and educational resources. Waldorf is the basis for over 1,000 schools worldwide, and California alone contains 49 Waldorf-style public and private schools (including two options in Ukiah, one in Napa, and a handful in Sonoma County). However, none are within easy driving distance for Lake County families.
 
The Waldorf curriculum is designed to educate head, heart, and hands, meeting students at each specific phase of their development. Relationships form the heart of Waldorf, with a deep, long-term commitment to individual students’ personalities and learning styles. Core subjects are infused with hands-on experiences, outdoor exploration, movement, storytelling, practical skills, and the arts, all woven together so students experience the world as interconnected as it is.
 
A charter school is a public school of choice that is funded by state funds but independently run. Currently, there is only one other classroom-based charter school in all of Lake County, and we believe our local students would benefit from being able to choose from more education styles to meet their unique family values and learning needs.
 
To become a charter school, we’ll submit our petition to the Kelseyville Unified School District (KVUSD) Board this May (2021), gather with supporting families and community members at a public hearing before the KVUSD board in July, and hear the board’s decision in August. If we’re denied by the local school district, we will appeal to the county board of education. If authorized, Shade Canyon will open in September of 2022 with transitional kindergarten through third grade. We’d then add one grade per year until Shade Canyon is a full-fledged TK/K-8 school.
 
We believe that by honoring simplicity, we nurture the spark of the individual and nourish a thriving community.
 
Our mission is to cultivate inspired learners.

 
The People Behind Shade Canyon
 
Co-founders
Morgan Chinnock is a writer whose work in various fields has prepared her to manage a school startup. She’s been a grant writer, an adjunct professor of English, a legal secretary, a summer camp programming director, and an author and editor of several full-length books. Savannah Mitchell is a lifelong Lake County resident, a California-credentialed teacher with a Waldorf certificate. Both are also stay-at-home mothers of two young children, driven by their passion to make Waldorf education available for their children and all Lake County families who desire it.
 
Board of Directors
Our stellar board’s collective experience includes administration at the Lake County Office of Education, administration of a private college, owning small businesses (including a farm and a Waldorf toy store), serving on other boards, being the secretary of a Waldorf school, helping to start up other Waldorf charter schools, and being Waldorf educators.
 
Lake County Parents
Just since December 2020, our online Community Interest Survey  has demonstrated that many Lake County families want to send their children to Shade Canyon: over 80 families and counting (a promising number in our rural area).
 
Community
Key Lake County business owners, public officials, teachers, and Waldorf parents of grown children offer their hearty support of this project.  
 
Partners
We’re partnering with the best—California Charter School Association, California charter law firm Young, Minney & Corr, and Delta Managed Systems, a charter school financial services firm, who has prepared our five-year budget projections that demonstrate we’ll be equipped to hire a qualified administrator and the excellent teachers that give Waldorf education its signature.
 
Waldorf students become critical thinkers who are curious about the world, connected to their communities, and confident shaping them. Please join us in opening up this opportunity to Lake County children.

 
Stay Connected
 
Take our Community Interest Survey 

Visit: 
Shade Canyon's Website 
Facebook Page 
Instagram