MUSE School Opening in Calabasas

By: Ashley Tjan | November 08, 2011 | Local

On November 7th, MUSE School had their ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate their new location in Calabasas.  Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of Director James Cameron, and her sister Rebecca Amis founded the school in 2006 around the concept of sustainability and a curriculum focused on personalized learning.  The ceremony featured a child led service as well as child led tours of the green campus.  From a tree house to an onsite museum, the MUSE school is as multifaceted as the students they teach.

The origins of the school began when Suzy Cameron sought a school for her own children that cultivated a dynamic learning experience.  Upon finding a lack of such a school she and her sister Rebecca Amis decided to create their own.  A major theme that permeates both the school’s physical as well as academic design is an emphasis on sustainability. “We recognize that our world is ever evolving, and our focus on embracing and teaching sustainability impacts every aspect of campus life – from the materials we use in our classrooms to the food we provide for lunch,” says Cameron. 

The founders of the school left nothing to chance.  Even the design of the school is used as a learning tool and created with the school’s philosophy in mind.  A program on an Ipad synched with the school’s lighting provides a visualization of the amount of energy consumed and teaches students about energy conservation.  This practice reiterates Cameron’s belief that “everything is a teachable moment”. 

The school’s ‘Kitchen and Garden’ program allows students to cultivate an on site garden which provides 30% of the school’s produce needs while giving students an understanding of permaculture and the effects of garden ecology on the Earth.  Organic cleaning products are also encouraged - in a unique approach to resolve a rodent problem, a falconer was hired rather than using harmful chemicals.

From robotics to opera, any student’s personal interest may be incorporated into their study. “Our core curriculum, taught by the best of the best, is strengthened by our focus on letting children enjoy the great outdoors and take on projects that inspire them,” says Cameron.  Mentors, specialists, and experts in various fields are recruited and brought to teach and further foster a child’s individual interest. 

Students attending the flagship school, MUSE School CA, are also members of a growing worldwide education community known as Global MUSE.  These sister schools range from a tribal Maori school in New Zealand to a Burmese refugee school on the Thai/Burma border.  These institutions are connected by a common philosophy and mission centered on being holistic, community minded and future focused. Through shared activities and projects such as an exchange of student created “how to” videos with sister schools on a wide array of topics, MUSE students learn to appreciate and communicate with friends on various scales of community.

Going through the student-led tour and getting a paleontology lesson from one of the students, it is easy to see that the school is the real deal.  One can almost make palpable the proverbial gears turning in the students’ heads as they fervently describe the history and discovery of fossils found in the school’s surrounding environment.  Ultimately, these bright young minds will become the enthusiastic, conscientious, and innovative leaders of their generation, promoting cultural appreciation, ecological mindfulness, and sustainable living around the world.

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