"At its core, the Northwest School has always been about respecting every individual for who they are, no matter who they are," states Ellen Taussig. "Our focus was on serving every student in a way that truly sees them and provides what they need."
As Northwest celebrates its 45th anniversary, who best than one of the original founders to speak to its legacy and origins? Together with fellow co-founders Paul Raymond (1932-2007) and Mark Terry, Taussig's philosophy is embedded into the very fabric of the Northwest School and its unique curriculum.
In addition to serving as faculty, Taussig was also Northwest's Head of School (1992–2011). "I was the accidental head," she chuckles, "because I was appointed as acting Head during a crisis period and only planned to serve for a few months." However, six months turned into a year, and then much longer. "I didn’t want or intend for it to happen," she says, "but my strengths happened to be right for the moment and beyond."
A Bold Vision for Education
Taussig and Terry first met Raymond in California. "We met at Oakwood School in Los Angeles in 1970, but we all chose to quit in 1978. We were brainstorming ways to do things differently," she remembers.
"It was my first teaching job," says Taussig, "and I was a 9th grade English teacher. The school gave us opportunities to do new things and collaborate with each other." Soon thereafter, Raymond hired them to help teach for Project Open Future, a summer residential program for disadvantaged junior high school students in Santa Barbara, CA.
Over the years, the three educators developed bold progressive ideas about what education could and should be. "For instance," shares Taussig, "Paul said that it shouldn’t be English and Social Studies – it should instead be the Humanities." She pauses and continues, "And that later became the origin of the curriculum here at Northwest."
These observations and related conversations eventually impelled Taussig, Terry, and Raymond to consider starting their own school - something completely different and new that resonated with their core beliefs about a meaningful education.
In 1980, this new educational institution opened its doors. "The full name of the school at that time was The Northwest School of the Arts, Humanities, and Environment," she states. " And that was intentional. We believed that every subject a student encounters over the course of the day is as important as everything else."
A devoted pianist and music lover, the performing arts have always had a special place in Taussig's heart. "We had great respect and love for the arts ourselves," she reflects. "We believed that the arts teach students creativity and so many other very important things." This became the foundation for Northwest's curricular emphasis on the arts.
"So we structured the courses so that students would take at least two arts courses," she notes, adding that "we wanted to hire only professional artists (not art teachers) - because that fundamentally changes the education experience."
Every individual needs to be respected for who they are, no matter who they are. The Northwest School has always been about serving every student in a way that truly sees them and provides what they need.
The Origin of Northwest's Core Values
The founders' passions and life experiences formed the basis for NWS core values that still endure today. "Concerns with social justice had always been part of our lives in different ways," notes Taussig. "Paul Raymond had actually marched with Dr. King, and he had even gone to prison. And Mark and I were several years younger, but we had also participated in various protests."
Indeed, equity and social justice were hallmarks of the Northwest experience long before they became buzzwords among the K-12 and education communities. "Social justice burned within us – an abiding concern for humanity's issues and injustices," she says. "We are educating students to understand historically what humans have done and continue to do, and also give them the skills to do something about them."
Environmental sustainability, stewardship, and scientific inquiry are also integrated into the Northwest curriculum. Taussig attributes these legacies to her former colleague and fellow co-founder. "Mark was a scientist and naturalist," she shares. "He always placed a heavy emphasis on inquiry. He believed that it’s very important that students are asking the right questions and then pursuing the appropriate path."
This went hand in hand with fostering community, belonging, and inclusion on campus. "Simple things, like the importance of food and eating together builds community," she observes. "There is conversation and laughter, and you begin to see each other as people."
Cultivating shared meals for students was near and dear to Taussig's heart. She remembers, "There was no furniture in the main hall and we used to serve lunch there – it was a place to sit and experience community."
Communal dining has always been an important feature at Northwest, and even persists on campus today as faculty and students alike step away from their desks to break bread together and enjoy each other's company over lunch.
Building Global Partnerships
Taussig played an instrumental role in pioneering partnerships with international schools, which formed the foundation for Northwest's Global Program and also informs the school's impetus to foster a global perspective. In 2013, she founded Lebawi, a non-profit school in Ethiopia that serves students in grades 9-12.
“'Lebawi' means knowledge and wisdom," she explains, "and the children actually chose that name." When she became aware of the desire among locals to start a school, Taussig was immediately interested in making this dream a reality.
"The universal humanity of all people, as well as the international perspective, are both very important to me," she states, and adds "education is everything to me – my own parents were Jewish refugees and I am a first generation American."
So when she was approached by local Ethiopian expats who were working at the Gates Foundation and Microsoft, she was determined to help. "These were highly talented Ethiopians who were escaping the cultural revolution and had come to the U.S. They were so passionate about American values and opportunities, and they already had a nonprofit. They wanted to serve highly talented underserved kids, and not charge any tuition," she notes. "And they could have gone anywhere, but they found us. It was a wonderful opportunity to take what was beautiful about this school and apply it to Ethiopia."
The universal humanity of all people, as well as the international perspective, are both very important to me. Education is everything.
Taussig worked with them to build a Board, apply for funding, locate a site for the school and then recruit students. Following the school's launch in 2013, she devoted 8 months each year for the next two years to visit and work at Lebawi.
"We began with just 20 9th graders," she recollects. "But today, that school enrolls 1,000 students on an incredible campus that was previously a college." She pauses and reflects before adding, "We were able to replicate in Ethiopia what we have here, and that reinforces my belief in the universality of people."
Looking Ahead
Taussig takes pride in the Northwest School's journey, as well as how its abiding principles endure in the hallways and classrooms today. "I always emphasized the C's and everything that goes with them," she says with a twinkle in her eye. "Creativity: develop a sense of it and have confidence in it; Courtesy: be kind and thoughtful to everyone; Collaboration: especially in the performing arts, this is about learning how to produce something as a community; and Self Discipline: I learned this through learning how to play the piano, starting small and then moving toward mastery."
As Northwest marks its 45th anniversary milestone, Taussig is clear-eyed and optimistic about what lies ahead. "It’s very moving to me that the founding principles are as important today as they were back then," she observes. "The DNA of the school is still here. Northwest has been around for all these years, and we know what it has meant to many people who have been here."
