About Sussex School

The school operates from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M., with an additional after-school program available for kindergarten through sixth grade from 3 P.M. to 5:30 P.M.

Sussex School Vision

Sussex School is a joyful and creative learning community where students join together with teachers and parents on a journey to acquire knowledge of themselves and the world. Along the way, students experience the excitement of learning and reach for their potential in a setting where they are trusted and celebrated. Students graduate with confidence, knowing their own voice and ready for new challenges.

Sussex School Mission

Our mission is to provide a challenging, progressive curriculum in a nurturing environment, so that students can become confident, enthusiastic learners and caring participants in their local and global communities.

Faculty

Sussex teachers are creative, skilled, and passionate about what they teach. The teaching staff is continuously involved in professional development. Sussex teachers are regarded as leaders in education and are widely recognized for their innovative teaching methods. They provide pre-service training to students from the University of Montana and are often asked to give workshops to other teachers at both statewide and national conferences.

Parents

Sussex is a parent cooperative. From the school's inception, parents have played an integral part in the direction, operation, and maintenance of Sussex. Sussex School is governed by a board of directors elected by parents of current students. A decision to join Sussex School is a commitment to being involved in a community dedicated to the growth and development of its children. Parents are required to contribute 24 hours of work each quarter. These hours are extremely important to the school and its efficient operation. Parent involvement also adds to the uniqueness of Sussex. Parents are always welcome, whether they are helping in a classroom, supervising the playground, or just stopping by for a chat.

Class Size

The student-teacher ratio varies depending on grade and subject, ranging from 8:1 to 18:1. This allows for individualized attention in all areas. Primary classes have two grade levels working together, and 6th, 7th, and 8th grades are each separate classes.

Students

Sussex students have an active role in all aspects of school life. They meet weekly to discuss upcoming events and school issues, and they assist in the daily maintenance of buildings and school grounds. Students and teachers also work together to plan extracurricular activities. Older students have the opportunity to serve on the School Board and various committees.

Alumni

Sussex has over 180 8th grade graduates. These graduates have gone on to successul high school careers at public high schools, including Hellgate, Sentinel, and Big Sky High Schools in Missoula, as well as private high schools such as Loyola-Sacred Heart. Three Sussex graduates have been awarded the prestigious Cook Scholarship to attend St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire. Colleges attended by Sussex graduates include Harvard, Yale, Williams, Lewis & Clark, Stanford, and the University of Montana. Sussex alumni have become successful and contributing citizens of their communities, whether as a jazz musician in Paris, an attorney in Portland, or an engineer in Missoula.

History

Sussex School was founded by Bente Winston in 1971. Bente grew up in Denmark where she taught in the Copenhagen public school system for three years before moving to Missoula, Montana in 1967. Interested in progressive education, Bente found a niche for fulfilling her dreams and her vision when, in the summer of 1970, she connected with five other Missoula families eager to start a parent cooperative preschool. Bente and her husband Don Winston purchased a house at 212 West Sussex and the Sussex Preschool opened its doors in January of 1971. By 1974, Sussex had expanded to twenty students from pre-K through 5th grade. The building next door at 216 West Sussex was purchased and the school officially established itself as a non-profit parent cooperative school with tax-exempt status.

In 1980, Sussex moved its 36 K-8 students to its present location at 1800 South 2nd West in Missoula. This former home of Montana Governor Cooney offered Sussex room to grow. Sussex soon became well-established, with a reputation for offering a creative, child-centered curriculum for its 72 students. In 1988, Sussex received an Excellence in Education Award from the U.S. Department of Education. The same year, the eighth grade graduation was held in the school's new auditorium/gym facility that had been built with the proceeds from a successful Capital Campaign.

During the 1980s, the school developed a strong Outdoor Education Program. Sussex established climbing and alpine skiing programs, as well as regular camps and extensive spring field trips. Sussex also began the Ecothon, an annual fund raising event that funds the school's Adventure Program, which has expanded to include rafting, kayaking, mountaineering, and Nordic skiing.

Bente Winston was head of Sussex until 1991, when Thom Sanders-Garrett became the school's director. Bente continued as a middle school math teacher and remains on the faculty today. Under Thom's leadership, Sussex has continued to develop its reputation as an educational community that offers vital alternatives to more traditional schools, and in 1992, Sussex received a "Breaking the Mold" award from the U.S. Department of Education. The school's second Capital Campaign, in 2001, received enthusiastic response from both enrolled families and alumni parents and students. By 2002, enough funds were raised to add a spacious art/science lab, a new building with two roomy classrooms, and an attractive courtyard that ties the campus together amidst flowers and other greenery.

Sussex has moved into the 21st century with a strong mission and vision that holds true to the founding principles of providing a fun-filled learning environment of high educational standards to Missoula's children. The Sussex School, now a respected part of the Missoula educational landscape with over 180 graduates, celebrates its 35th anniversary in January, 2006.