Norman private school aims for holistic approach to children's education

That's exactly what children attending Norman's Rose Rock School, formerly known as the Purple House, have been doing for the past two years. All of the school's caregivers have been trained through the Lifeways program, which emphasizes including children in daily tasks such as gardening, meal preparation and care for their learning space.

“The children become at such a very early age good and productive citizens of the Earth,” said Cindy McPherson, whose 4-year-old son attends the kindergarten program at Rose Rock. “Here they are learning to be good people, and it comes naturally. Their childhood is still protected.”

With the recent purchase of a four-acre property at 1515 W Main St., Rose Rock School director and kindergarten teacher Shanah Ahmadi hopes to expand the private school to reach more students in Norman and surrounding communities, eventually offering classes through the eighth grade.

“We started out in January 2010 in my house as an early childhood center, but quickly had a long waiting list,” Ahmadi said. “In September 2010, we added the kindergarten building in the back. The first year was really successful, and we realized we needed to expand again to meet the needs of the community.”