Charlotte N. “Candy” Landvoigt

Candy has a lifetime love of children.  She became interested in democratic education after reading A.S. Neill’s Summerhill in 1967.  Candy and her husband, Steve, visited Summerhill in 1969 kindling their interest in starting a school where children could experience freedom and responsibility.  After graduating with a degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland, Candy continued her education in Community Counseling.  She specialized in doing play therapy with young children.

Candy and Steve moved to West Virginia in 1976 when their son Maple (Highland graduate and M.D.) was a year old.  While buying a farm, building a house, and having their second child, Candy and Steve continued to dream of founding a school where children could follow their own interests.  Candy pursued her interest in children’s education by completing a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction as well as Foundations of Education at West Virginia University.  She received a Benedum Fellowship competitively awarded on the basis of scholarship.  After graduating from WVU, Candy taught graduate courses in early childhood education, history of education, educational research, and curriculum development.   While researching and writing her dissertation entitled “John Dewey’s Concept of the Child”, Candy became even more interested in democratic education. 

In 1981, Candy helped found The Highland School – a place where children could pursue happiness in their own unique ways.  Over the years, Candy continued to explore democratic education.  She attended conferences, wrote papers, and read about other democratic schools such as Sudbury Valley School.  The Highland School also evolved, as school members created a constitution and bill of rights to protect the democratic process.

Currently, in addition to her work at The Highland School, Candy works as a play therapist at The Counseling House in Parkersburg.  As a Licensed Professional Counselor and President-elect of the West Virginia Association for Play Therapy, Candy helps children and parents deal with such life changing events as family deaths, divorce, abuse, moving, and the arrival of new siblings.  She values children’s play and is constantly amazed by children’s ability to use the language of play to create coping skills and process difficult issues.   At The Highland School, Candy sees children’s freedom to play on a daily basis.  She finds that the many opportunities for young students to experience “deep play” is a vital part of their healthy emotional and intellectual development.  

Being a part of democratic education is a compelling and challenging life’s work.  Candy feels fortunate to be involved with The Highland School.  She enjoys seeing the difference it makes when children can pursue their own interests in a democratic environment.

     T. Stephen "Steve" Landvoigt

Steve’s excitement about democratic education stems from his own childhood.  He didn’t grow up in a democratic school, but he clearly remembers free time when he and his friends could explore and play in the nearby woods for much of his early childhood.  Steve also went to a private boarding school in Tennessee where he again had free time to explore the wonders of the surrounding natural environment.  After graduating from high school, Steve went into the Navy.  While stationed near Williamsburg, Virginia, he met Candy and began thinking about – and debating - educational issues.

While living in Maryland, Steve developed a successful home improvement business.  He and Candy also bought, renovated and sold a house in Laurel.  Steve moved to West Virginia in 1975 to finish his college career and look for a place to start a school. He received his B.S. degree in Math Education (7-12) from Glenville State College in 1977. 

Steve has been an oil and gas producer since 1980 and serves on the Education Subcommittee of the West Virginia Independent Oil and Gas Association.  Steve was active in founding The Highland School and frequently serves as a part-time staff member.   He manages operations of the school’s oil and gas wells. He also handles most of the financial administrative duties of the school corporation.   

     Karen Whitescarver

Karen was born in New York State but considers herself from many places with many interests.  Karen grew up in a small town as the youngest after three boys.  She attended public school but graduated early to get on with living her life. She was a Nanny for three years in Philadelphia, PA.  During her time with this family, she traveled all over the world and had ample time to immerse herself in music and culture, two of her great loves.  She attended Villanova and studied nursing and Early Childhood in the evenings.

After being a Nanny, she went to work at a pre-school/Kindergarten in Breckenridge, Colorado.  While in Colorado, she developed a love of the outdoors and the mountains.  She attended Colorado Mountain College and volunteered with Ski for Light, a program to help the blind enjoy skiing.  Karen spent her summers at a camp in southwestern Virginia as a counselor, cook, and hike leader.  It is there she met her husband, John.   She apprenticed with a lay midwife for a few months, was a display merchandiser for Hess’s Department Store for six months, and a Portrait Photographer for 2 years.

Karen then spent three years as the Director of a ten-county Child Care Resource and Referral Agency.  Her time there was during welfare reform in the mid 1990’s.  She got very involved in federal, state and local government.  This was the job that brought the most time to research educational philosophies and hone her public speaking about her most passionate subject: children.  It also helped her and John decide what they wanted for their future children.  She left this job to stay home with her son, Travis, who is a student at The Highland School.  She and Travis Home-schooled for two years before realizing that a Democratic School was better suited to interest-based learning and the advantages of being with many people.  In addition to life at The Highland School and as a Homemaker, she volunteers with the American Red Cross and the summer camp where she met her husband.  She also teaches classes at College for Kids at Kent State University in the summers.  Her other interests are sewing, knitting, genealogy, hiking, camping, history, reading, music, photography, health, creative writing, nature, science, laughter, and outdoor and indoor games.

     Noel R. McCutchan

Noel graduated from The Highland School in 1998.  She attended college in Kentucky then decided to seek employment as an Emergency Medical Technician. While working at the Doddridge County Emergency Squad, she met her husband Morgan, a volunteer firefighter.  Noel took paramedic training at WVU-P and later transferred to West Virginia University.  She graduated from West Virginia University in 2004 with a Regents degree.