The Anser Story

The dream was briefly halted when the local school district denied the team’s proposal, citing a lack of interest at that time in piloting any new concepts. The Superintendent had a clear vision for the district that did not include alternate forms of education.

But this didn’t stop the determined group! The Dream Team began holding meetings off-campus, during non-school hours. The question for The Dream School became, “If not here, then where?”

When Idaho legislators began discussing Charter School Legislation, the Dream Team submitted an application to the local district. Prior to submission, team members spent hours researching charter schools across the nation, collecting information about the strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures of educational and business designs. This information was combined with the sheets of ideas about the utopian school, and then cross-referenced with a dose of reality in regard to where it could be housed.

Darrel asked that members give what they could, when they could, and as much as they could. The Team was based on shared leadership, shared passion, and a shared vision of what a school could, and would, be. One of Darrel’s favorite sayings was from the movie Paint Your Wagon: “We don’t know where we’re going, but we know we’re on our way!”

In 1998, the Dream School became Anser Charter School, founded on the lessons from geese. Our school would encourage students, staff, and parents to share leadership, encourage one another to fly higher, support one another when the going is rough and take responsibility for guiding the flock along new and challenging paths of discovery. Our children would make a difference in the community, discover their self-worth, strive to be better people, become life-long learners and develop the skills needed to excel in the 21st Century.

The Dream Team has evolved over the years, and though its name no longer exists officially, it is kept alive with staff meetings and professional development days, Family Council, the Board, classroom discussions and open communication policies. The Dream School continues to evolve as well, as new students, staff and parents share their dreams and aspirations—and work to make them come true.