Some of the best things about Whidbey Island are its innovative people who make real their ideas, and the folks who rally to support them.
Marli Jenkins, the founder and administrator of the Woodhaven High School, once pondered the creation of an alternative high school nearly seven years ago.
“What began as a question that woke me in the middle of the night—Why isn’t there a high school on South Whidbey that allows young people to dive deeply into subjects and experiences that interest them? —has grown into something far beyond what I could have imagined,” Marli wrote in a recent email announcing new changes in store for Woodhaven.
After growing the school’s population from its start of four—to 19 learners now—Marli is stepping away from her day-to-day role as the school’s administrator, and will be serving as co-chair on the school’s Council of Trustees. Passing of the baton takes place Feb. 8, Noon to 1 PM, Room 401 at the South Whidbey Community Center in Langley.
By the way, at Woodhaven High School students are referred to as learners.
Heidi Nelson—whose superpower—according to Woodhaven Council of Trustees co-chair Lori Barian—includes seeing the big picture, and attracting the finances to run it—will serve as the school’s next administrator. Heidi’s daughter attends Woodhaven, and her son will begin his 9th grade year in September 2025. Heidi and her family moved to Whidbey from California in the fall of 2021.
“I have been in academia, worked in international relief fundraising—$12 million raised,” Heidi said. I served as board chair for two schools—elementary and preschool—for a couple of years in Los Altos (CA). My years of experience in education positioned me to be well-suited for this role.”
Marli credits Lori Barian, who served as administrator of the Whidbey Island Waldorf School for seven years until June 2024, for helping to plant the seed of starting an alternative high school. Marli’s five children attended the Waldorf School in Clinton, and she was impressed with the school’s emphasis on developing head, heart and hands.
“Lori connected me with someone who started a high school,” Marli recalled. “The story of Woodhaven is organic. We started from nothing. If you look at my resume, you would not naturally assume I had the qualifications to start a high school. My background is not in education or administration.”
Lori introduced Marli to a young man who had been involved in starting an alternative high school in Wisconsin. Jacob Hundt later helped found, and currently serves as Executive Director of Thoreau College.
Before arriving on Whidbey, Lori lived in Wisconsin, “actively supporting alternative education since 1988 while serving as administrator for Waldorf elementary, high school, and adult (teacher training) education organizations, as well as helping start a Waldorf-inspired early childhood center, a Waldorf-inspired charter school, and a green day care,” according to a bio in a nutshell she emailed me.
Jacob Hundt’s success struck a spark, and after consulting with other Whidbey parents and instructors, Marli took a chance and started Woodhaven in 2019 with four learners and eight teachers. They met in a yurt at the Organic Farm School.
In an earlier story, Marli said: “We are blessed with a committed group of long-time community members and parents, working together in love and respect for one another. We share a philosophy of education that promotes peace and an understanding of the whole human. Now more than ever, there is a deep need for an awareness of self as part of an interconnected community whole.”
The Woodhaven ‘seed’ has grown and since taken root in the community, seeing Marli through cancer treatment. The community stepped up for her in a way she will always treasure.
“For me going through all of that, it was the power of the community,” Marli recalled. “All of the love and healing energy, the meals, the prayers—it was extremely powerful. My oncologist said, ‘You are a walking miracle.’ I feel that’s really one of the critical pieces in this whole effort with Woodhaven is a need to care, and the community that we have here is really special. There is a generosity of spirit. If we allow that to permeate us, we and our children—right?—can feel that, they can want to have connection and relationship. Those are the pieces of this life that carry on—the relationships and connection. Families are important. Communities are important. We wish to help young people understand that.”
Woodhaven learners took an active part in community projects during the COVID pandemic.
Just as COVID pandemic school closures in March, 2020 began, Woodhaven moved to a classroom at the South Whidbey Community Center.
A number of innovative folks stepped in to hold the classes while being mindful of the teens’ well-being, including artist Gretchen Lawlor, who engaged her students in sewing COVID masks.
“Here it was, this new school initiative and we’re on our second year,” Gretchen said. “When the pandemic hit, we had to become immensely creative. We were on to hosting Zoom classes right away.Then we redesigned where the classes would meet. We fitted classrooms with fans, filters, distancing of desks.”
Gretchen taught a class course on Interconnection. “Oh man, my experience—I was invited to be part of Woodhaven by one of the students,” Gretchen said. “One said, ‘I wanted to study paper machè with Gretchen.’ During the pandemic we had to get creative. We kept going. We did the pandemic as an adolescent vision quest. That was a rocker! The things we’ve done are so beautiful. One year the kids were asked to take on a representation of elements. I was one of four. We did a ceremony on Maxwelton Beach inviting parents and students to walk into a spiral we made, launching in to a school–that’s an adventure.”
Gretchen choreographed ceremonies to begin and end the school years as well.
“I’ve been blessed and grateful to be a part of opening and closing of the year–the things we’ve done are so beautiful,” she said. “The students are a wild and wonderful lot. I love to work with teenagers—loving to be able to bring what we refer to as the history of psychology which allowed me to bring in astrology.” By the way, Gretchen is a gifted astrologer, and is currently practicing her art in healing ceremonies in Mexico.
The teens also learned practical woodworking skills.
Through collaboration with the Learning Lab at the community center, learners were taught woodworking skills, and constructed porticos for the tiny homes project—THiNC—across the street.
“The group of learners we’re working with are post-COVID kids,” Heidi noted. (At Woodhaven) they will see they are capable and competent and can be connected. Particularly with this population, this is the time to hold them especially well.”
Nowadays, Marli looks forward to serving on the Council of Trustees board, and cultivating her talent for community connection.
Lori Barian said Heidi Nelson is the right candidate to step in to administer the school as it continues to evolve.
“It’s allowing Marli to step out of administration, but hold the school’s mission and values, and be part of approving the goals that are set for the next two years,” Lori said. “I would say that Heidi’s presence is really making all this possible. Heidi’s expertise and educational management will compliment the school.”
“I can see people’s vision, what the mountaintop of that vision is,” Heidi noted. “I help build the trail up the mountain. My job is to support the framework and make that vision live.”
Woodhaven’s curriculum has expanded to provide apprenticeships and mentorships between the school’s learners and the greater community.
“Last year’s 10th graders spent 6-8 weeks working with a community member they picked, in an industry they were interested in,” Heidi said. “One learner worked with a make up artist, another with (musician) Eli Moore. One works with Karyn (Schwartz) at Sugar Pill Apothecary in Langley learning herbology.”
Woodhaven’s Council of Trustees promotes local partnerships so that students can remain on the island, in addition to participating in high school dual credit programs.
For learners who have met the class requirements of 9th and 10th grades, Running Start and Sno-Isle Technical Skills center are options for 11th and 12th graders. In addition, Woodhaven also works to support upper grade learners who are interested in mentorship opportunities in an area of learning where they want to focus. A new classroom was just completed for the older learners to have a place to meet one-on-one with their mentors.
In addition to win-win partnerships with the island’s community and Woodhaven’s learners, Heidi Nelson said word is out about how engaging it is to teach at the private high school.
“We have 15 people who have applied for substitute teaching jobs,” Heidi said. “They have phenomenal skill sets and connection with community. “(For instance)…a number of people with PhD’s with rich and varied interests have applied. We want to leverage and connect with ways that are organic and intuitive. We’re on the cusp of being able to pull this together. My daughter is enrolled and son will be enrolled. This is the kind of education I want for my children.”
Woodhaven is hosting a potluck Feb. 8 from 12-12:30 followed by a brief report from the Council of Trustees until 1 in Room 401 of the South Whidbey Community Center.
“One piece happening now is a whole lot of stakeholder surveying and hearing from those who either are involved as learners, families, or community partners–those supporting the effort,” Lori Barien said. “Their voices are important in this next phase. We wish to build on what’s working and make improvements.”