Hudson High School is a large suburban public school that begins its work as a First Amendment project school in the midst of an innovative experiment in school governance. “Over the next year,” says school principal John Stapelfeld, “the entire Hudson High School community will implement a governance model based on democratic town meetings.”

To facilitate the meetings, Hudson will unveil a new school building, the design of which reflects the school community's belief in two concepts: First, that a cluster model of organization (approximately 125-150 students per cluster) will engender closer connections among both the students and the staff; and second, that the cluster model will provide an ideal democratic governance structure, and involve more students in the daily life of the school's operation.

How will it work? The clusters will be organized thematically around broad areas of student academic interest. Clusters will not restrict students academically and students will still have full access to the school's curriculum. Weekly cluster meetings, however, will provide time for students to develop service projects, hear from guest speakers, attend workshops relative to their cluster themes, and participate in school-wide governance meetings. At the same time, the clusters will be places where a real democratic community can be built, one that affirms First Amendment rights within the context of a larger, expanding school population.

As Sheldon Berman, Hudson's Superintendent, characterizes his district's work, “our goal at Hudson is to build a sense of community and to educate knowledgeable, ethical and active citizens who care about others.

“Through character education, community service learning, and student engagement in democratic governance, we are supporting the active goal of helping young people become effective citizens who appreciate the importance of our First Amendment rights in sustaining our democracy.”