Seaside school

Ten years plus.

What’s the purpose of Coastal Studies for Girls? To provide a safe place for girls to learn and grow, where they can make mistakes, be challenged, and be made aware of the opportunities available to them, especially in science and math.

Describe your first class of students. They are going to be pioneers. They know their opportunities and responsibilities as they establish traditions that will live after them. There will be a lot of discussion about how to make the living-together piece happen. But the way the sun sets over the field and the stars at night -- all the students will have that in common.

Where will the girls study and live? We’ve leased an 8-acre parcel from Wolfe’s Neck Farm. We purchased the farmhouse and barn.

What will a typical day be like? They are up early. They begin with a silent walk to the shore. They have the opportunity to set their intent for the day.

You’ll ask that a group of 15-year-old girls be silent for half an hour? Yes. It can be amazing when it happens. The pace is so fast in their lives that we want them to know how to step away. In the mornings, they will take specific courses required by their sending schools. The afternoons are big blocks of time for leadership adventures and marine research. They’ll have study hall at night, and closing circle about 9 o’clock.

What kind of student will thrive at the school? She is open, curious, honest, adventuresome.

Tell me about your background in science and the outdoors. I grew up in an outdoor environment in northern Wisconsin. My dad is a forester. We went camping all the time as a family. We would make our own maple syrup, get wild rice every fall. That led me to pursue recreation administration and biology.

On your most optimistic days, where do you see the school in 10 years? A thriving campus with 64 student slots and finding that this isn’t enough to support all the need and desire