RGCS Founder’s Corner
Hello and Welcome to the Founder’s Page!
The purpose of this page is to help you to get to know the individuals at the helm of Red Granite Charter School, the two women who took the school for a mere idea to brick and mortar (or brick and yurt).
Chamomile Nusz and Meghan Hughes co-founded Red Granite Charter School and have been diligently working on the project since May 2022.
The impetus for Red Granite Charter School came from Meghan Hughes, a community mother and physician, who wanted to be able to offer her own children and the Wausau community the unique educational opportunity that is Red Granite Charter School.
However, Meghan knew nothing about what building a school actually took and for this reason, she reached out to Chamomile Nusz, a woman who has made building charter schools her life’s work and someone Meghan had known since her childhood growing up in Amherst, Wisconsin.
The rest, as we like to say, is history. Through these past years Meghan and Chamomile have developed not only a wonderful, effective and productive working relationship but they have also had the opportunity to rebuild a friendship which started when they were both involved in a musical theater troupe when they were teens and was then revived when they were both (much) older and married and mothers.
We invite you to take a moment to listen to one or all of the brief videos below which feature Chamomile or Meghan or both of them talking about some of the most important parts of Red Granite, Waldorf Pedagogy, Community building and everything in between.
Join Us As We Build A Foundation For Future Generations!
Curriculum
Curriculum Flexibility
Importance of Vestibular System (1)
Importance of Vestibular System (2)
Integrated Curriculum
Learning Outdoors
Science in Waldorf Education
Waldorf Pedagogy
What is Looping?
How Does Looping Work?
Importance of Looping
Low Emphasis in Technology (1)
Low Emphasis in Technology (2)
Music in Waldorf Education
Neurological Development
One Thing Waldorf Education
Positive Discipline
Singing in Waldorf Education
Evaluation and Assessment
Assessment at RGCS
Common Core Standards
The Experience of Opening a School
Difficult Part
Chamomile’s Experience Opening Schools
What Attracted You To RGCS
Community and Culture
Community and Culture
Volunteering Culture
Outcomes
Resilience With Waldorf Education
Public Speaking in Waldorf Education
Perseverance in Waldorf Education
Persistence and Perseverance in Waldorf Education
Waldorf Education Standardized Tests (1)
Waldorf Education Standardized Tests (2)
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Meghan Hughes, MD, MPH
Co-Founder, Red Granite Charter School
Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Fundraising
Chair of Capital Campaign Committee
As a mother, physician, and public health advocate I am deeply invested in the education and well-being of every child. As the mother of twins, I am committed to creating a learning environment for them that fosters their natural inquisitiveness and desire to explore the world around them. I am also committed to the de-emphasis of technology, especially at an early age. I believe that children should be outside engaging in play-based learning for as long as possible. Red Granite Charter School was created in the spirit and image of these beliefs.
Fun Fact: I traveled extensively prior to becoming a wife and mother and have lived and worked in the following countries: Kazakhstan, India, Denmark, and Kenya.
Contact: mhughes@wausauschools.org
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Chamomile Nusz Ed.
Co-Founder, RGCS
Director of Curriculum, HR and Grant Management
Chamomile Nusz is a co-owner of Circle Education LLC, a consulting service working to support innovative education. She works for the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education as the Membership Director, supporting schools throughout the United States in support services and the membership process of self-study. She works with the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools (WRCCS) supporting the development of high-performing charter schools throughout the state of Wisconsin. Chamomile was a founder of the Tomorrow River Community Charter Schools (TRCCS) in 2012 and served as the Executive Director of the TRCCS Elementary, Middle, and Virtual Schools until 2021. She received her Masters' in Education from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point (UWSP). She is the 2021 recipient of the Oscar W. Neale Fellowship. Chamomile is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Education in Educational Sustainability from UWSP.
Contact: cnusz@wausauschools.org