People say nice things about us.

The speeches by our 2008 high school graduates were full of nice things. You can read excerpts here.

An e-mail from a student who graduated in the early 80s:

My memories of Kino always bring a smile to my face and I am grateful to have had such great teachers like you. I continue to lead by example by teaching my children to look at the world with open eyes, treat everyone with kindness and respect, and to be environmentally conscious. (February 6, 2006)

A thank you letter from a U of A student who observed the school:

I have never been to a school so warm and inviting as well as nurturing and creative! I was never aware that there are schools like this and wished that I could have been a Kino student! Loved playing capture the flag and found everyone to be so friendly and open. Wish you all the best and Kino has left quite an impression on me! (December, 2004)

A letter from Barcelona:

Some 20 years ago I became one of the first foreign students to join Kino's community. Now, at my 37's, it still stands as one of the greatest and most rewarding experiences of my life. I am now married and have three boys (6, 4 and 6 months old). Some years from now, I wish to give them the opportunity to share a year of their lives with Kino. It shall be, indeed, a unique and precious gift. (November, 2004)

From the father of a student who graduated in the early 90s:

Willow and her husband hope that there will still be a Kino and a place for their daughter there when she is old enough. We all acknowledge a large debt to Kino for the success, the fine young woman, and the great mother that Willow has become. (March, 2006)

Ed Nagle of the NALSAS, observing Kino for our periodic accreditation renewal:

An impressive amount of involvement and activity! (February, 2004)

From a university student's paper comparing a class at Tucson High with a class at Kino:

[The teacher at Tucson High] had to try to keep the noise level down in his classroom, because that is the convention at Tucson High. The teacher at Kino, on the other hand, had no such concern. She could focus, therefore, much more closely on delivering her medieval history lesson than on delivering discipline. The tone she adopted with her students was one of gentle encouragement. She was helping them to understand concepts, and acting as a learning partner, rather than as a guide. Attention to the lecture was very strong.

Where [the Tucson High teacher] was figuring himself almost as a partner in subversion [by secretly serving popcorn in defiance of Tucson High rules], the teacher at Kino didn't seem to need to choose sides between the administration and the students. . . .

In a moment that was both comical and slightly surreal, a portly wiener dog strolled through the room during history class . . . and no one seemed to care. (April, 2004)

From the father of a graduate:

I want to thank you for the education that my daughter received at Kino starting almost 20 years ago. I was initially very suspicious and doubtful that Kino would do what I thought was important--teach students to memorize facts so they could go to a prestigious college. As I now look at my daugter and some of her friends from Kino, I see them as successful, vital, struggling but happy, responsible adults. They learned (and I learned) that there are more important things than facts, grades, and names of colleges. They learned that they have choices about what they study and do. They learned to share and be part of a community. They learned how to learn by being interested in and excited about a subject.

I hope that these skills and values continue to be available for students to learn. I hope that Kino teachers know that their commitment and integrity is important and their contributions to their students is greatly appreciated. (March, 2004)

A student who graduated from Kino's 8th grade in 1983, before we had a high school, after seven years at Kino:

Thank you Kino for the fabulous experience that I firmly believe laid the foundation for my life. I went on to high school, college at NAU, and then graduate school at UA, all based on strong self-motivation and a desire to learn and experience rather than simply be taught. Kino fostered that motivation and desire.

Kino students, speaking at their graduations:

It wasn't until I came to Kino that I had teachers who saw the best in me, instead of looking for the worst.

It’s hard for me to imagine what I’ll be doing next year instead of coming to Kino. It’s like my family

From Linda Leedberg, Global Methodology: Engaging Children in Drama and Theater Arts to Enhance Creative and Aesthetic Response, pages 141, 143 (1995):

The intimacy of [Kino school] fosters a spirit of caring for each other. ... The older children more willingly focused on helping the younger ones to succeed ... From the vantage point of the younger children, they seemed to find a greater sense of confidence based on the older students' interest in them. ... The open setting also appeared to stimulate active imagination, perhaps because the children felt freer and more playful.

A Kino alumn, at the commissioning ceremony where he became an Air Force lieutenant:

I would like to thank the teachers and mentors of Kino School. Ed Davis is one of the most influential teachers I have ever had. Without him I might not have realized what I could accomplish in life. He ... genuinely cares about trying to help young people accomplish success. ... That goes for the rest of the Kino School community as well.

And his mother said it is not usual to have eleven high school teachers attend a commissioning ceremony (or to have them whoop so enthusiastically).

Paul Ziemer, father of Kate Ziemer (Class of ‘97):

Sending her to Kino was the best thing we ever did for Kate.

Parents of two Kino graduates

Lara’s essay for admission to medical school was sprinkled with Kino events and philosophy. ... Kino works, and the seeds that you planted have bloomed over and over.

A Kino student writing from Japan where she was a year long exchange student:

Japanese school are supposed to be very difficult and Japanese students are supposed to work very hard. Both these things are true. . . . I like my Japanese school very much and I've made a lot of friends. But Kino is a far, far better school. I've always heard that Kino is a school where individuality, creativity, and originality are encouraged. I didn't used to know what that meant, but among my Japanese friends I don't know anyone who will ask for an explanation when they don't understand or will ask a question when they want to know the answer. No one likes or is excited by what they learn in school, whereas if you look around at Kino you will find a huge amount of interests being pursued, projects being carried out, kids learning.

11 year old boy, overheard in May:

Ninety days is way too long for a summer vacation.