MANSFIELD, Ohio – In 1975, Margaret Black had a vision: a school where teaching was individualized and learning was hands-on, where students came out from behind rows of desks and took control of their education.
Motivated by her two young sons and frustrated with the current state of public education, Black partnered with Ohio State University Mansfield professor Dr. Shirley Heck, and between the two women the Discovery School was founded and brought to life.
“They told us schools like this only last three to four years,” said Black. “And we were determined that wasn’t going to happen – and now 40 years have passed.”
Over the past four decades, the Discovery School has grown from 27 students in its inaugural class to 170 students currently learning and growing at “the little school in the woods.” Though much has changed throughout the life of the school, the idea of a progressive education for Richland County’s youth has remained the same.
“You have to have good academics where children love to go to school, and Discovery School students all love to go to school,” said Black. “If the school isn’t good academically, for me there’s no reason to have it. But our children love learning, love going to school, and we have them learning a lot.”
This December, former teachers, administrators, board members, parents and students from Discovery School will gather to celebrate its 40th birthday. A party and open house is being planned for Saturday, Dec. 19 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the school at 855 Millsboro Road. A dinner and reunion for the school’s first 10 years of students and teachers is also being planned after the open house on Dec. 19 at Hawkins Corner on Park Avenue West.
For former teacher Carol Liles, who started at Discovery School in its third year, the reunion is an opportunity to relive some of the most influential and impactful years of her life.
“It was five years of my life that I had marvelous people to work with,” said Liles. “I was able to take that experience and build on it, but there was never anything quite like that. It was very special.
“And if nothing else, getting back together and having conversations about what really mattered and what we did and talking about the kids we helped and laughing, that camaraderie doesn’t happen for a lot of people,” she said.
Coming from a background of individually-guided education, Liles knew Discovery School would be a good fit for her. In her classroom, she helped her students create their own learning environment by giving them input on what they wanted to learn and how they wanted to learn it.
“It was our responsibility to provide an environment that was engaging curriculum-wise but also a good match for the kids that were there,” said Liles. “It was also very relational and respectful; when I was there the kids called me Carol, but it wasn’t that I wasn’t treated with respect, it set a tone that was different and said we’re in this together.”
Togetherness was never more important as during “family group” conversations Liles would have with her students, a back-and-forth dialogue that would lead to decisions and solutions made as a unit. But sometimes, life became more important in family group discussions – such as one morning when two of Liles’ students lost their mother.
“We sat as a family and talked about it, and the kids expressed feelings and talked to those two girls and gave them comfort in ways we couldn’t even if we wanted to,” said Liles, her voice breaking. “At seven years old they’re empathizing, trying to understand and trying to be supportive.
“I’ll never forget one student saying to another, ‘I don’t understand how that must feel, I can’t imagine how you must be hurting because the only thing I’ve ever lost is a gerbil,’” said Liles.
Liles also touted the Discovery School’s openness and world view that makes a great contribution to young children – a concept Black hopes to continue in the future as the school works towards certification towards the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.
“IB is very international, it’s inquiry-based, it’s thematic – it’s very much the roots of going back to our beginning,” said Black.
After 40 years, Black said the Discovery School students planning on attending the reunion are also excited to get back to their beginnings. Black said Discovery School alumni range from a professor at Brown University to a young man from New York who wrote policy in the mayor’s office.
“They’re coming back to see their teachers and their friends,” said Black. “It means everything to me, you work really hard to build a school and keep it going and make it good, and your product are these children who are doing great things in the world. And they’re good human beings.”
Black is quick to deflect taking any credit for what Discovery School has become – and Liles is just as quick to remind her of her school’s lasting and important influence on education in Mansfield.
“Margaret, you wouldn’t have had the impetus to do something like start a school if you didn’t have something pushing you. It’s hard to do, and you did it,” Liles insisted, looking at Black. “And it’s something that impacted your community.
“I don’t think you’ll ever know the contribution of all the different kids,” she told her friend. “That’s got to make you feel good, and you should. I’m telling you now, you should.”
