Puget Sound Community School

Last updated

Puget Sound Community School
Location
Puget Sound Community School
Coordinates 47°35′47″N122°19′27″W / 47.59639°N 122.32417°W / 47.59639; -122.32417
Information
School type501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Private
Established1994
FoundersAndy Smallman, Melinda Shaw
Teaching staff9
Grades6–12
Communities servedChinatown
Website pscs.org

Puget Sound Community School (PSCS) is a small, independent, secular middle and high school in the Chinatown neighborhood of the International District in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1994 by Andy Smallman and Melinda Shaw, who both have since retired. PSCS is run by 3 collaborative administrative directors, Valerie Diaz Leroy, Tim Ichien, and Sieglinde Levery-Nicholas. [1]

PSCS was highlighted in the November, 2025 issue of [2] in an article entitled Rigorous Engagement.


[3]

The New York Times featured PSCS as a pioneer in gender-neutral bathrooms in a 2017 article about non-binary youth. [4]

Author Daniel Pink mentioned the school in his 2009 book Drive, noting that the school "gives its students a radical dose of autonomy, turning the 'one size fits all' approach of conventional schools on its head. Each student has an adviser who acts as her personal coach, helping her come up with her own learning goals" [5] [6] and comparing it to Sudbury Valley School and Dennis Littky's Big Picture School.

In 2009, the Seattle Times featured the school in its article "Kindness Taught in Seattle School’s Online Class." [7]


References

  1. ↑ "Puget Sounds Community School". pscs.org. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Gay Parent Magazine, out of New York". Gay Parent Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Puget Sounds Community School". US News & World Report. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  4. ↑ Greenberg, Zoe (October 24, 2017). "When a Student Says, 'I'm Not a Boy or a Girl'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Idea of the day: Kindness class | Daniel H. Pink". Daniel H. Pink | The official site of author Daniel Pink. January 3, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  6. ↑ Pink, Daniel H. (2009), Drive: The Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us , Riverhead Books, p. 194, ISBN   9781594488849
  7. ↑ "Kindness taught in Seattle school’s online class" The Seattle Times. December 27, 2009

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