As The Leelanau School in Glen Arbor prepares for the coming academic year, Head of School Robert Hansen has a message of shared purpose and transparency built around the school’s goal of fostering student agency and well-being.
“We have to teach students the ways that they can feel in great control of their lives. And so there’s plenty of room to teach them how to factor polynomials and balance chemical equations, but the real priority is to help them feel safe, build self awareness, build self advocacy skills, functioning skills so that the anxiety about their future can be reduced...and you’re not going to have academic success until you have those things,” Hansen said.
Students arrived on campus Tuesday and yesterday to move in before heading out on the
annual start of school camping trips. The camping trips are a vital part of the school’s year as they focus on community development and build bonds between students.
The Leelanau School expects to welcome 40 students to campus this fall. The small class sizes allow students and teachers to connect and communicate in a way rarely found at larger schools.
With that communication comes a certain level of trust, especially when it comes to the use of technology.
As cell phone usage policies in schools continue to change and get more restrictive, Hansen says that the Leelanau School has a different approach. The school allows students to have their phones as a way of learning to manage technology use in everyday life.
“Distraction and cell phone use isn’t the problem,” said Hansen, “students put their phones away during class and community activities. That’s the expectation that’s been normalized so that’s what they do.”
The school takes a similar approach to the use of AI. Hansen said that they “embrace the instructional obligation” of teaching students how to use tools like AI and cell phones in a
responsible and productive way.
While there are not any big changes happening at the Leelanau School this year, they will continue to foster a unique and resounding sense of community and care with their students and staff.
“We make it clear to our students and parents too, that we’re trying to develop their sense of worth and wellness through the high school experience. Through the classes they take, through the activities they engage in, through their interaction with each other, all of it is part of our curriculum,” said Hansen.
