Thank you for providing a safe environment with opportunities to grow as a person and broaden my horizons. It means so much to me that I had a small part to play in achieving your dream of a school for gifted and high achievers. Thank you, as well, for respecting my beliefs and sensitivities in a world that often doesn't. 

There is no way to measure or to adequately express the contribution [Betty] and Pioneer School have made to our family. We could never have done it without your generosity, creativity, and tireless dedication.

Our experience in public school was not a good one and Pioneer has been amazing for both [of our children] on so many levels. I am grateful every day!

We all appreciate the teachers, and the parents, and most of all Betty, who somehow has the magic wand to make all of this happen. This is the school where kids wake up excited in the morning, ready to go for another very exciting day, and not complaining how boring and dreadful the school is. We might not say it every day, but we are very happy, proud parents of a Pioneer student!!

I love that our kids get out into the world, experiencing the community in all its diversity and beauty, and learning to be respectful of public spaces, other cultures, and the natural world. I love that my kids' teachers don't have to rely on bribery to get compliance on a day-to-day basis. My kids go to school every day with an eager smile and they are engaged and working hard. They come home excited about the hands-on projects that they have taken part in, singing songs they're learning, and telling me about what a neat place they are learning the world is. 

"This morning I dropped off our kids and they immediately ran to their classrooms. What kids run toward their school? Pioneer kids!"

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Pioneer is a wonderful treasure. So grateful our children and whole family have been nurtured here!

I love that our kids get out into the world, experiencing the community in all its diversity and beauty, and learning to be respectful of public spaces, other cultures, and the natural world. My kids go to school every day with an eager smile and they are engaged and working hard. They come home excited about the hands-on projects that they have taken part in, singing songs they're learning, and telling me about what a neat place they are learning the world is. The other kids are like family to them and we've not had any problems with mean-spiritedness or antagonism from their classmates. And then there are the teachers! I can honestly say that my kids are nurtured by their teachers, challenged by their teachers, and loved by their teachers. 

We want you to know how grateful we are for having the children read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Thank you for your support and for all you do to promote understanding and acceptance. There are very few opportunities for kids to learn about tolerance in the Inland Northwest. We feel very fortunate to have our girls attend Pioneer School. In a very short period of time we have seen some amazing results. You both have some amazing talents!

My children were very comfortable at Pioneer and loved sitting in a heap on a stack of pillows for silent reading, loved gathering around their teacher awaiting instructions on an upcoming science lab while she perched above them on her funky chair, holding them rapt with her description of what was to come and their possible role in the outcome.

Thank you for teaching me this past wonderful year. This class was incredible fun. My favorite topic this year was Native Americans. The Potlatch was great!

Pioneer taught the girls how to learn. By that, I mean how to be creative, how to think and analyze, how to understand estimation and relativity. They learned to gain information, evaluate and draw conclusions. It was never about memorizing or testing. It was about asking the right questions, collecting the right data, understanding the importance of information and how it relates to our daily lives. They learned to learn every day in every environment. The thematic approach connected the academic skills to life. The hands-on approach made it fun.

Pioneer is a great school! I want to thank my teacher for teaching me interesting writing tricks, math problems, and how to write like an author. My favorite topic that our class studied was space. I enjoyed learning about comets, asteroids, meteors, and planets. One of my favorite field trips was going to the Planetarium where we got to see many constellations! Pioneer is a great school because the teachers make learning fun - you get to go on educational field trips and you get way more attention then any other school!

A year and a half ago we took a risk and pulled our children out of a "comfortable" school and sent them to Pioneer. Pioneer has been an amazing educational environment where our children's strengths and gifts were exposed and appreciated. My son left more confident in himself, not only academically, but socially. My daughter was able to express herself in writing, something she truly has a passion for but was never encouraged in before...you run an incredible school.

You have re-ignited the spark in our daughter that fuels her love of learning and we will be forever grateful for all you've done for our family.

Thank you for your commitment to my son's intellectual and academic growth, for nurturing his curiosity, and his interests. Learning by topics and having all those adventurous field trips made school exciting and laugh out loud FUN! I love how the Pioneer experience is all about learning and living life fully and expansively. It has been a true pleasure and a huge blessing that my child got to partake in all this with you!!!