770.993.2940
info@highmeadows.org
1055 Willeo Road
Roswell, Georgia 30075
770.993.2940
info@highmeadows.org
1055 Willeo Road
Roswell, Georgia 30075
While exploring the land that is now our campus, forward-thinking educators Jody Holden, Bill Crawford, Jay Dickerson, and Michael Drake conceived the idea of a progressive school and summer day camp designed to emphasize exploration, discovery, and multi-age learning.
At that time, the property was part of the former residence of Mr. and Mrs. Nat Franklin and was known as Franklin Farm. In honor of the 4o+ sprawling acres sitting atop one of the highest points in Roswell, the new owners, and our school founders named it High Meadows.
That was more than four decades ago, and still the school is unlike any other. Here, children connect with nature and learn from their environment as they ascend in academic knowledge.
High Meadows School founders Jody Holden, Jay Dickerson, Mike Drake, and Bill Crawford had worked in various capacities at the Chattahoochee School, located where Roswell’s Chattahoochee Nature Center is now. All four had the experience, vision and drive to create a dynamic school that would support inquiry-based learning and the natural intersections of academics and our environment.
Bill Crawford provided fiscal leadership, managing the finances for both the School and the Camp, and took on the role as first groundskeeper. Jody Holden was a long-time professional educator, and had been head of the Chattahoochee School. Her vision of education guided High Meadows’ mission in its early days, and remains the cornerstone of our program today as an active member of the board of trustees.
Jay Dickerson and Michael Drake were also experienced educators with a strong interest in the summer camp program. Both men blended their traditional education backgrounds with a great respect for the innovative methodologies implemented at High Meadows.
High Meadows began by offering early education and camp programs for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. As recognition for excellence and demand for enrollment increased, the school added new grade levels, faculty and staff, buildings, classrooms, and outdoor learning spaces.
First classes for preschoolers between the ages of three and five
First primary class of kindergarten, first- and second-graders
First elementary class of third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders
Parent organization, S.H.A.R.E. (School Home and Reach Everyone) created to organize activities, enrichment programs, and volunteer opportunities
Computer lab opens
First implementation of Nature Studies Program
Norfolk Southern gives the school its storied caboose
First middle school program for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders
First eighth grade graduates
The school is purchased from the original owners by a group of parents, community members, and teachers, and it becomes a nonprofit organization
Accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
Becomes an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School offering the globally-recognized IB Primary Years Programme (PYP)
The High Meadows Center for Progressive Learning is established
More information on High Meadows’ academic and environmental affiliations can be found on our At a Glance page.
The High Meadows community celebrates and perpetuates each individual’s quest for knowledge and skill, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural environment. We empower each to be a compassionate, responsible, and active global citizen.
Learn MoreCopyright 2019 High Meadows School | 1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | Phone: 770.993.2940 | Fax: 770.993.8331 | Policies
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