Michael Kligerman, Class of 2011

Michael Kligerman graduated from DVFriends in 2011. He attended Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina where he majored in Adventure Education. After graduation, he was an associate teacher in Asheville teaching fourth grade and outdoor learning clubs. Michael is currently pursuing his M.Ed. and Colorado teaching license from Morgridge College of Education through Denver University. He hopes to return to teaching elementary school students and incorporating some adventure learning into his curriculum. Michael says that he would not be the person he is today without DV, and he particularly appreciates the school’s emphasis on metacognition and self-advocacy as important tools for his own success and contributing to his approach as a teacher.

 

I came to DV in 9th grade from a large public school district.

 

I had a hard time with reading and Tourette Syndrome.

 

I enjoyed school before DVFriends, but it was hard. I felt lost a lot of the time. 9th grade – going into high school - was a good time to make the transition to a smaller school that could better address my needs.

 

How did your school experience change after coming to DVFriends? I liked the smaller school environment and small class sizes at DVFriends. I received more help from my teachers and got to know my classmates better. I appreciated the emphasis on metacognition – how you learn and what you need to be successful – and self-advocacy that was built into the curriculum and approach at DVFriends. I also really liked the Quaker values – all the SPICES, but simplicity and peace really spoke to me.

 

Bill Dawe presented things clearly, and introduced using audiobooks while reading the book itself to me. That was a huge help! Norma was my advisor for two or three years and I loved starting every day in the kitchen - sometimes even making breakfast!

 

I ran cross country and played ultimate frisbee, which was great for social and health reasons. I was on student government – co-clerk of the Service Committee – and I enjoyed engaging with the community and my peers in a different capacity. Folks who were in student government were also on the sports teams, so I had a strong friend group at DV. I was a founder of the Ecology Club – we sold reusable water bottles. It’s nice to hear that student involvement in environmentalism is still going strong at the school. I was also one of the founders of the Steak Club. We grilled steaks every Friday and it was so much fun and a real example of how DVFriends empowers students. I was a vegetarian one of the years we were doing Steak Club, and I had to eat only carrots (it was in the bylaws). We were smart and always made sure we delivered steak to the administration. I did two ABLE trips at DVFriends: backpacking in Costa Rica and bike packing along the C&O Canal in Maryland. Both were great, but my favorite was the biking trip. I didn’t know until I left DVFriends that adventure learning was a big deal. I thought it was just something DV did.

 

What do you think is the lasting value of a DVFriends education? Metacognitive awareness and self-advocacy. DVFriends emphasized a number of learning and teaching strategies I used in college and beyond. My experience at DVFriends also spearheaded my interest in working with kids and understanding more about human brain development. I would be a very different person had I not attended DVFriends – the small high school environment helped me understand that I wanted a small school for undergrad as well and I knew I could be successful in that environment. DVFriends also pushed me to advocate for my needs.