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This is the second in a series on
West Marin's four one-school districts. By Elizabeth Bourne
And despite Nicasio's rural isolation, the school has traditionally enjoyed unusual success in teaching a diverse studentbody. As it happens, Nicasio is in the geographical center of Marin County, causing area residents twice in the 1860s to advocate it be named the county seat. However, both attempts by the remote town to challenge San Rafael were rejected. These days the town's isolation is considered an asset that has sparked a real estate boom, with many house-for-sale ads mentioning that the town has "an award winning K-8 school district." Some examples: The grade point average of former Nicasio students in Drake High's class of 1999 is 3.79 (straight A's), compared with 2.98 for the senior class as a whole. Nicasio students from all grade levels perform exceptionally well on state standardized tests; in fact, many students frequently "top out" in the 99th percentile. Latino students have done unusually well at Nicasio School. In 1988, some 37 percent of the students were from Spanish-speaking families living on Nicasio's dairy ranches. Today, they make up about 10 percent of the enrollment. But by far the most impressive statistic is the school's success at the annual Marin County Academic Pentathalons. In the 15 years that Nicasio School has competed, its students have never finished lower than third place. "During the last seven years, we have swept both overall points and the Super Quiz three times," said Principal and Superintendent Jeff Pflugrath. "No other team has done as well in the '90s. In 1994, Nicasio had the highest composite score of any Marin County school in pentathalon history." Pflugrath attributes his students' success to "teamwork, competitive spirit." Pflugrath not only coaches the team but is the school's sixth, seventh and eighth grade teacher. He has run the district for the past 32 years. The biggest small school By far the largest of West Marin's four one-school districts, Nicasio School is surrounded by dairy ranches. Today's atmosphere at the school is reminiscent of the days when students arrived on foot or by horseback at the historic red schoolhouse on Nicasio Valley Road just south of the present school. As Nicasio has grown in the past century, what began as a one-room school became a two-room school in the late 1950s, a three-room school in 1967, and a five-room school in 1995. With plenty of staff for only 62 students, Nicasio School now has three fulltime teachers, four parttime teachers, a music instructor, two teachers' aides, and a slew of adult volunteers to assist students and teachers. Enrollment issues When enrollment dipped to 38 students in 1982 and stayed low for several years, the school in 1989 began accepting students from other districts in order to boost enrollment. About that time, however, Nicasio began to grow rapidly, and in 1996, the school's enrollment reached an all-time high of 72 students, almost doubling its size in seven years. "That was a year that really stressed our facilities and staff capacities," said Laura Callahan, president of the Board of Trustees. "I think we felt too big when we had 72 children in three classrooms." Making the situation even more complicated was the fact that some students work above or below their supposed grade level. In reality, said Callahan, students in each classroom spanned five years. Taking advantage of California's class-size-reduction program, which provides funding for kindergarten through third grade classrooms with no more than 20 students, Nicasio School in 1996 added a fourth classroom teacher. The school now operates kindergarten and first through eighth grade classrooms in permanent and portable buildings scattered about the campus. And in a further effort to keep classes small, the school no longer accepts new students from outside the district. Problems for the school Despite all the things going right for the district, some problems exist. Although the school is clean and thoughtfully maintained, it's showing its age and needs more space. Unlike neighboring schools, Nicasio has no multi-purpose room, meaning that students must eat lunch in their classrooms on rainy days. But probably the most compelling argument for adding a multi-purpose room, say school officials, is the stage, kitchen, and office being located in the main room of the school where they disrupt kindergarten and first grade classes. For example, all of the kids' desks, books, and learning materials must be moved into other classrooms during December so their classroom can be used for holiday music programs. All this happens again in June when it's time for graduation. While the district has begun planning to rebuild the school, Supt. Pflugrath acknowledges it will be a "lengthy and complex process." Much may depend on the community's willingness to pass a bond issue to finance the project. Support for school Luckily, Nicasio residents have always supported their award-winning school. Each year, the Nicasio School Foundation raises money to hire two parttime teachers' aides. Along with dedicated teachers and staff, who work many more hours per week than they're paid for, parent volunteers, conscientious trustees, and a supportive community are responsible for Nicasio School's success. Supt. Pflugrath says he feel fortunate to have been a part of the school for so many years: "I don't believe that there is a more important thing that I could have done." "Most of my volunteers are grandparents from the community," noted kindergarten and first grade teacher Martha McNeil. "I depend on volunteers to work with the kindergarten while I work with the first grade." McNeil, whose family was one of the original settlers of Nicasio, says that the most important things to teach a kindergartner is to be a good friend, follow directions, and be a good listener. Multi-grade classrooms "The multi-grade classroom supports the best practices in teaching as we know them today," adds Assistant Principal Elaine Doss, who came to Nicasio School as a parent volunteer in 1978 and has been teaching third, fourth and fifth grades since 1992. "With careful planning multi-grade instruction can offer the best of circumstances under which children can learn. In fact, it just may be the future direction of all primary schools, regardless of the size of the community," she said. Doss also said with multi-grade classes older students can help younger ones and provide role models. In addition, teachers don't need to familiarize themselves with the particular strengths, needs and learning styles of an entirely new class each year. Atmosphere of school Each classroom at Nicasio School is different, designed to assist students as they evolve from kindergartners to high schoolers. However, all the classrooms have computers and access to the computer lab. In the kindergarten, colorful bean-bag chairs provide seating in library corners while bright, abstract drawings adorn the walls. Second and third graders enjoy being "class authors," who write and illustrate beautiful books that are displayed on one wall. Colorful math projects hang on another. The middle grades cultivate an organic garden and publish a monthly newspaper, Nicasio News, which was founded five years ago by Doss. "I created this paper to give students the motivation to write that having an audience and being a journalist brings," she explained. Each month student reporters interview townspeople, beginning with ranching families and people who attended the school long ago. The students write poetry, critique books, movies, and video games, along with reporting on what's happening in Nicasio. Doss plans to publish a book of excerpts from the interviews as a master's project. "It's an oral history," she said. "They talk; we listen." Preparing for high school Nicasio School is the only one-school district in West Marin with middle school pupils. When pupils finally reach the sixth, seventh and eighth grade classroom, they are ready for the challenges of a middle school program, in which three core-curriculum teachers make sure the students are prepared for high school. Most of the students attend Drake High in San Anselmo although many other former students have attended private high schools. "We study the Drake curriculum guides, talk with counselors," said Pflugrath. "The most important thing is to give all students the academic skills they need to be successful no matter where they go." Nicasio students receive instruction in Spanish three times a week, music once and week, and regularly use computers. The school's best-known neighbor, filmmaker George Lucas, has supported the district in many ways: loaning equipment, helping hook up to the Internet, donating desks, and providing prizes for auctions. Nicasio's changing While Lucas' facilities are out of sight, evidence that a real estate boom is changing the community can be seen everywhere around town. Nicasio was once known for its ranches, but million-dollar homes and equestrian facilities now dot Nicasio Valley, and the school is having to cope with the changes. Assistant Principal Doss concedes, "There is a change in our entire culture that definitely affects parent attitudes and expectations. Communication always gets a little more difficult when numbers increase." One thing Nicasio School is determined to retain is its appreciation of the innocence of its students. In fact, many parents prefer the school's isolation because it protects their children from some of the worldly problems afflicting urban schools. "I think that many of us look at the little red schoolhouse and wonder at the old days with sense of nostalgia, wishing that life was simple again," said Trustee Callahan. "But I think that we recognize change is necessary if we are going to prepare our children for their futures. We are more diverse, and we are more enriched."
Information Herein Deemed Reliable, but Not Guaranteed |
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Some 137 years have passed since Nicasio School District
was founded, and while the size and the location of the school has
repeatedly changed, its approach to education remains the same. 