Judie Brown lived a gentle, spiritual life

It was in 1999 that Judie Brown read the groundbreaking book, “The Indigo Children,” by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober. The book’s premise – that “Indigo” children, certain children born after 1992, display unique factors of behavior – inspired Brown to bring a new look to education in Coeur d’Alene.

Brown died last month, and family and friends are holding a memorial service Wednesday to remember her and her contributions to the community.

School Indigo began as a six-week camp in 2000, backed by a host of local volunteers. It’s goal was small class sizes, with emphasis on creating a strong partnership between the school and the child’s home life, and a curriculum that stressed one-on-one teaching of social, environmental and educational needs. Brown knew that if the school could encourage a positive attitude in children, the children would carry that attitude into adulthood.

“Indigo Children,” according to the book, display a new and unusual set of psychological attributes. Some seem gifted in the arts and music, while others display extreme intelligence and common sense that are well beyond their age.

Brown’s background as a public school teacher and former family counselor brought to the school the right combination to set a program in place. With the help of her husband and the school’s business manager, Alan Brown, School Indigo expanded into a regular school with a current enrollment of 44 students. The school was a safe place where children could “learn to think at their own pace,” Alan Brown said. Learning how to think, not what to think, was encouraged through hands-on learning. Flexibility was the primary influence of achievement where students could move up and down in grade levels, depending upon their individual needs and interests.

“Teach Peace” was Judie Brown’s common motto. Nothing was out of the question for her when it came to teaching, friends and associates said. She diversified the curriculum to include languages, music, yoga, and even teaching respect and manners.

Syndee Wright has taken over as School Indigo director in Brown’s absence. Wright, whose son attends the school, said she chose School Indigo because it was where “I would have liked to go if I was a child.” When Brown was diagnosed with multiple brain tumors, she approached Wright to carry on with director’s duties, and Wright said she was happy to accept.

Brown’s gentle and spiritual way of life did not stop at the school. She also started the “Teddy Bear” program, where she bought teddy bears, gave them to loving friends to keep for a month and then hand-delivered them to patients who were hospitalized for long periods. She felt that the love and energy from the people who nurtured the bears would help and reassure the sick that they were loved and thought of even in times of sickness.

Brown died in March. She is survived by her husband, sons Jeff and Mark, daughter Laura, and a legacy of how love and a positive attitude can continue to mentor future generations. .