IN THE CLASSROOM:Campuses of creativity

Art permeates the curriculum at the three campuses of Anneliese’s Schools, which range from preschool through 8th grade. All the schools focus on self-responsibility, which is enhanced by the natural beauty of their environment.

“Being in a world of beauty helps alleviate aggression,” said Liesa Schimmelpfennig, daughter of founder Anneliese Schimmelpfennig. “It makes children more aware of their environment. A lot of parents know that art’s a great thing, but they focus on math and science.”

“In this school, we try to reach both the right and left mind during the day,” Anneliese said.

“We teach them to always be respectful of each other, teachers, animals and plants,” she added.

At the school, which is modeled on a European system, the curriculum is strong on including art and music in all subjects. Class sizes are kept low to ensure individual attention.

Each day begins with Circle, a group discussion and song time. Circle time can include rhymes, games, oral math problems or discussions on world affairs.

While studying Native Americans, students constructed pots, came up with names for themselves, devised rituals and created animal totems and costumes.

The students learn English, Spanish and German, as well as some French and Japanese.

Genuine etiquette — from the heart, not contrived, teachers say — is also high on the goal list.

Rather than relying on a reward system, the school teaches inner discipline: the satisfaction of trying something new, and the value of delayed gratification.

The school also holds summer courses in art, languages and Lego Engineering, among other topics.

The three campuses in the system are Willowbrook in Laguna Canyon, Manzanita in inland Laguna and Aliso in South Laguna.

At the school’s verdant K-3 Manzanita campus, which doubles as the founder’s private residence, no detail is left untouched — doors are round, furniture is painted, rich rugs adorn the wood floors.

A Tibetan gong is rung to indicate the end of recess, which may extend a few extra minutes when necessary — the emphasis at Anneliese’s is not on rules and rote learning.

In the solarium-style school office, sinuous tree branches and generous windows create the feeling that one is in the middle of a forest.

“She scraped every penny together to buy this place in 1971,” Liesa said.

All meals are prepared on site in a commercial kitchen, with a preference toward organic food; gardens are cultivated in the back of the campus.

The campus feels remote from the outside world; it used to be a retreat center. But it is only steps from Laguna Beach High School.

Art Director Dianne Aoki said former students often come back to visit the Manzanita campus; it’s also a popular spot for students to fill community service hours.

In the third-grade classroom, a Helen Keller quote is inscribed in English and Spanish above the students’ heads. “Be true to your work, your word and your friend,” it reads.

The third-graders are studying the history of art from the Renaissance to modern times; they are currently learning about Picasso.

While learning the history, they learn color theory and fine-art techniques.

“You so often see art projects contrived by the teacher,” she said. “I could always tell if I was successful if the works were radically different.”

On Tuesday, the students’ task was to create their own painting in Picasso’s style, using hand-mixed shades of brown.

“Think about the repetition of shapes and lines,” Aoki instructed.

The kids quickly sketched the outline of their paintings and began to deftly mix their own colors.

“This is where the magic happens,” Aoki said, gesturing around the room. “There’s freedom to create and express.”

“Kids come back and say this was the best part of their childhood,” Liesa said. “It was the only time in their life when they felt free to express themselves.”