STAR School makes its home 30 miles east of Flagstaff, AZ among juniper trees and against the backdrop of volcanic cinder cones. Opening its doors in 2001, as the nation's first solar powered charter school, the STAR School serves 112 students from Pre-K through 8th grade.

Principals: Dr. Mark Sorenson

Teachers: Dawn Mapatis - 3rd & 4th grade, Steve Babcock - Special Education

Webpage: www.starschool.org

Contact: 145 Leupp Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86004

Phone: (602) 415-3533

Mission: The Mission of the STAR School is to instill a life long love of learning in all of its students.

Vision: Our school community members will develop the character, skills, self-awareness and attitudes to live in balance in the world, and to serve all our relations.

At STAR School, students from the nearby Navajo Nation and surrounding rural areas are taught in multi-age classrooms that incorporate technology and native language. Already rooted in the ideas of place-based education, the STAR School focuses on community and service learning through an integrated approach to curriculum.

The school was recently highlighted in a newly published book entitled Place-Based Education in the Global Age, edited by David Gruenwald and Gregory Smith. The chapter highlights how the STAR School works to teach students and faculty to strengthen their sovereignty through service to the land and the people. During the 2007-08 school year, BOEP trained teachers will be working within their current educational philosophies and practices to enhance and complement the Bioregional Outdoor Education Project.

Dawn Mapatis is in the early stages of her teaching career as a second year teacher with the STAR School. She completed her undergrad work at UNM and received her masters from NAU in Flagstaff. From Hotevilla, AZ, on Third Mesa, Dawn is active within her community. Actions like keeping casinos off the Hopi Nation and speaking with youth are projects that are close to her heart. Other interests include planting, plant identification, reading, reggae music, and spending time with her husband and son. The best part of the BOEP for Dawn is the place-based component. She feels that kids don't value their "place" enough and wants to teach them just how much there is to see and discover right beneath their feet.

Steve Babcock is a transplant from upstate New York who moved to Flagstaff in 1991. He has been working in schools since1983 in a number of capacities, including speech therapist, classroom teacher, substitute, and most currently as a special education provider. Outside of school, Steve's interests range from bird watching to yoga, meditation, and above all, music. As a singer and guitarist, Steve plays locally with a Celtic band called Pure Dead Brilliant. What interested Steve the most about the BOEP was the "cool concept" of bringing the outdoors into the classroom. With a lifelong interest in the outdoors, Steve is excited about incorporating his interests with what he does with the students of STAR School.