Antioch School Testimonials
"Antioch School provided me not only with the educational foundation needed to thrive in academics, but also, and arguably more importantly, to thrive in life. By that I mean, Antioch instilled in me values such as the importance of teamwork, cooperation, and leadership. The School shaped my humanistic and cosmopolitan values, and instilled in me a love of learning. There is no better way to spend money, than on your child’s education. The money my family spent on my education at Antioch is the unquestionably the best money they ever spent on me.”
Alban Holyoke
The Antioch School 1990-1999
“My Antioch School experience has been an extremely useful tool in navigating life beyond elementary school. The fundamental problem solving skills I learned were cultivated in a unique environment where I had the freedom to apply them. The ways in which other Antioch School graduates and I have learned to resolve conflict while at The Antioch School noticeably sets us apart from our peers. The Antioch School has cultivated my sense of self-direction, which I see as priceless gift. I am so very grateful to my teachers at The Antioch school for all the tools they have provided me with in life.”
Ben Green
The Antioch School 2000-2008
Ben is an honors student, studying biology at The Ohio State University.
"I remember teachers and projects that allowed me creative and intellectual freedom to pursue my interests. I tell people it was a lot like being in a college for elementary school kids. The years I spent at Antioch fostered a love of learning, an appreciation for the outdoors, and introduction to the fine arts, including music and theater."
Chad Stiles
Antioch School Alum
and Parent of two Antioch School Students
“The Antioch School encouraged my curiosity, taught me to be myself, and showed me how to resolve conflicts with other people. The teachers are amazing people who cared not only for my academic learning, but also for my growth as a child. And of course, I must mention that without The Antioch School I never would have learned how to ride a unicycle.”
Christina Brewer
The Antioch School 2000-2008
“The Antioch School encouraged me to understand that Nature is a place to find peace, and a place to ask the hard questions when life happens to you. The Antioch School teaches children how to cope with life, not by telling them what to do, but by showing them that they are born with everything they need. Curiosity, joy in simplicity, and an entire world to contemplate. They did this through the simple skill of letting me play outside for long hours every day.”
Elea Acheson
"Anyone can learn how to complete homework. More rare is the inner identity of a life long learner that The Antioch School gave me. To love to learn and be playful while doing it is simply a part of who I am. How glorious is that, that I will always be driven to learn anew each day?! I am now a naturalist in Minneapolis, giving short outdoor lessons about nature to schools in the area. To be able to model this playfulness with kids who have never been outside to learn is the best tool I have. Working with kids who have never touched a worm, or seen a toad, or tasted maple sap dripping from a tree, has solidified the gratitude I have always felt toward The Antioch School in guiding me toward cultivating my own relationship with nature. I wrote poems with the swaying pines of the Glen, created and acted out skits for the OG'd enchanted forest, and generally loved exploring outside to discover anything I wanted during free time. In many school groups that come to my nature center, I see that kids (and teachers) have lost their connection to nature and have yet to discover their learning identities. The Antioch School will always be a unique place where both those things, nature and self directed learning, feed one another. We absolutely need more Antioch Schools to help our next generations become advocates for the environment, and for themselves in this world."
Emily Foubert
The Antioch School 1991-1999
I graduated high school from The Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and I am currently enrolled in the Cinema Arts and Science program at Columbia College in Chicago with a concentration in Sound for Cinema.
The Antioch School nurtured my creativity and encouraged me to question and explore the world around me. They taught me how to communicate and express my feelings efficiently with others. At the Antioch School I was a valued member of a precious democratic community where my voice mattered. The Antioch School taught me to love learning, not just from school, but everyday from my surroundings and those around me. I credit the Antioch School for my success as a high school and college student.
Erin Grote
The Antioch School 2007 Graduate
“The Antioch School taught me how to learn and to love learning. I am very grateful that, because of my 7 years there, I went on to truly enjoy my time in high school and college. To this day I meet challenges with curiosity and creativity, thanks in large part to my childhood experience at such a wonderful little school.”
Erin Ruddell
The Antioch School 1987-1994
“It is hard to put into words the importance that The Antioch School has held in my life as a child and into adulthood. My childhood memories are of laughter, singing, egg drop contests, baking pies, unicycling, skiing, pottery, stained-glass, The Enchanted Forest and our wonderful plays. Looking back now, in my mid-20s, I know that those activities have helped shape who I am today. As an adult I feel the school provided a wonderful environment for me to be a child while helping me develop communication skills that are imperative to my professional work today.”
Kumar Jensen
The Antioch School 1993-2002
Throughout my life I have been lucky enough to learn from some wonderful teachers and schools, but I can truly say the root of it all began at the Antioch School. It was there that I was first taught about creative problem solving and the benefits of effective communication. I was never forced to take a test on these principles, rather I learned them on my own in a free environment.
Specific examples I can recall are situations like distributing snacks evenly in Kindergarten, creating a budget when we each made our own shop in YG, figuring out who would be in my camping tent in OG, and countless successful conflict mediations along the way. I apply these crucial lessons on a daily basis in both the workplace and my personal life, and I truly feel that the Antioch School set the foundation for these skills to blossom.
As write this in 2023, I am the Assistant Director of Scoreboard Operations for the Cleveland Browns, as well as a Production Assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Guardians. I have aspirations of becoming a Producer or Director for one of the aforementioned sports teams eventually! My early interest in multimedia production was allowed to flourish during my time at the Antioch School, where I can remember filming countless movies and shows during Art and Science class, which makes me grateful for the amazing learning experience that the Antioch School gave me.
Landon Rhoads
“The Antioch School taught me that learning and education is not just about the grade. Learning doesn't have to be just because a teacher said you should learn something. I learned that it's about what you want to know and if a teacher isn't going to teach it to you, you should just teach it to yourself.”
Olivia Brintlinger-Conn
The Antioch School 2000-2008
“For many of us (alumni) The Antioch School remains the high point of our many long years of American education-and should be the gold standard for education that seeks to teach their pupils-and citizens-how to live in the world.”
Paula Treichler
The Antioch School 1950-1955
Paula Treichler is a professor of communications, criticism and interpretive theory, medicine, and gender and women's studies at the University of Illinois. She is the author or co-author of three books including How to Have Theory in an Epidemic: Cultural Chronicles of AIDS, and A Feminist Dictionary.
“Sixty years on, experiences as an Antioch School student continue to nurture my intellectual, social and aesthetic awareness, and my life as a citizen. Now as a volunteer returning to the School, I am so pleased to see its culture unchanged, with respect for the children and their learning process, with nurturing, caring and competence. What a great school, great teachers, great kids and families!”
Phil King, Ph.D.
Class of 1954
“My experience at The Antioch School was overwhelmingly positive. By emphasizing play and exploration, rather than rote memorization, the school instilled a love of learning and ability to work with creative independence that I still cherish today. I can't say enough about the school or the wonderful people who work there, except that I'm overdue for a visit.”
Zachary Katz-Stein
The Antioch School 1994-2003
Testimonials from Antioch School Parents
“At The Antioch School our children are building strong relationships and a sense of community that allows them the freedom to be curious, confident and creative.This sense of community and responsibility for each other, the teachers, and their school has helped them learn to be compassionate and respectful members of this community.”
—Antioch School Parents, Corinne Daprano and Jodi Chaiten
“I am grateful for the freedom my child has at The Antioch School to develop at his own pace, in his own way. Whether he is crossing the monkey bars, putting his face in the water when swimming, or learning to speak and listen during meetings with peers, he is building the confidence to become more himself.”
—Antioch School Parent
More than just a fleeting fad or experiment, The Antioch School’s child-centered approach has proven beneficial to generations of students. The educational pioneer Arthur Morgan envisioned Antioch as promoting "the joy of living"—not as a utopian ideal, but grounded in the reality of everyday play. Joy is, indeed, in abundance here. At the heart of this enterprise is the joy of discovery in togetherness. Cooperation trumps competition always. We learn in awe and wonder. Antioch is truly and literally wonderful.
—Antioch School Parents, Regan Parker and David Gansz
“We chose The Antioch School for our child to grow because we knew her experience here would be different than any other place. The foundation she is building here is helping her be a caring, empathetic, curious, and confident person with the skills to tackle any situation and solve any problem.”
—Antioch School Parent, Sarah Hall
“We are so grateful that our children are growing in this extraordinary school!”
—Antioch School Parent
“We choose The Antioch School for our children because we wanted an environment that would meet their needs. They are active and inquisitive and Antioch is a place that trusts and nurtures the innate inquisitiveness of children - just look at the classrooms and outdoor spaces! This School is is helping our children build a foundation for a life-long love of learning.”
—Antioch School Parents, Corinne Daprano and Jodi Chaiten
"'No tests. No grades.' Imagine such a thing! Well, that's precisely what sets The Antioch School apart from the 'workforce development,' 'teach to the test,' assembly line of 'standardization' that has defocused the public education system. How lucky we are that an alternative environment has thrived in the midst of our little community for 96 years!"
—Antioch School Parents, Regan Parker and David Gansz
“We love watching our child's curiosity unfurl. Every day she is given the time and space to explore nature and community. We have seen the positive results that come from trusting Antioch School's methods and traditions. We are so grateful to have this place for her to thrive.”
—Rebecca Kuder, Antioch School Parent & Alumni
“Because of The Antioch School, my children love school. They have no idea of the hours their public school peers spend in hurry-up-and-wait mode. They know the trails of Glen Helen better than me. They are comfortable solving problems and working through disputes. They study music, art, and science. They perform plays and musicals - and everyone participates. They learn to unicycle. And ski. They learn that, if they have a cool idea - perhaps even one as far-fetched as building a straw bale house - nurturing teachers will work with them to help that idea become a reality. I'm so glad that my children have this experience.”
— Antioch School Parent, Nick Boutis
“The Antioch School is so much more than a school to us. It’s a philosophy: the way children are honored here, and the freedom they’re given to become who they’re meant to be, is a model we try to uphold during the hours our children aren’t at school.”
—Luke Dennis, Antioch School Parent