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Library

Alanna Navitski

Location:

Upstate New York

Recorded by

Maddy Russell-Shapiro

Summary:

This interview with Alanna Navitski took place remotely on May 19, 2021 via Zoom. Alanna is the founding teacher and director at Catskill Wheelhouse, an independent, child-centered school for ages 2-11 in Greene County, NY. In this interview, Alanna shares about how her school transitioned to being a morning outdoor "Forest School" program for the duration of the 2020-21 school year. This meant she was only working part-time and therefore able to homeschool her daughter. She speaks about her current focus on preparing to found and launch a new private elementary school in her community in fall 2021. Alanna reflects about the challenges of being a working mom during COVID-19 but is excited to share about the new school. She also talks about the impact on her upstate community of the influx of even more residents, and more full-time residents (as opposed to weekenders), from the city as a result of COVID-19.

Interviewer Bio:

Maddy Russell-Shapiro is a podcast producer based in the Bay Area and New York City. Previously, she worked with several California nonprofits focused on expanding access to higher education, including Mission Graduates in San Francisco and Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin State Prison. She attended Oral History Winter School in 2017 and hosts a narrative nonfiction podcast about tenacity titled Relentless.

Additional Info:
Interview language(s):
English
Audio quality:
Medium

Audio Quality Scale

Low - There is some background noise and the narrator is hard to hear.

Medium - There is background noise, but the narrator is audible.

High - There is little background noise and the narrator is audible.

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please click here to inquire about permissions.

Part of this interview may be played in a radio broadcast or podcast.