Last week, we hosted our all-school Lunar New Year celebration. Waldorf education uses world languages to develop an understanding of varying languages, cultures and countries. This encourages the development of human understanding and expands awareness of cultural experiences. Students, faculty and staff alike, enjoyed this window into Chinese culture.

Currently, in the second grade classroom, you’ll find a beautiful chalk drawing from the tale of Malindy and the Devil, an African American Folktale familiar in areas of Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas. The image and story come from the book Herstories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales and True Tales. In second grade, the students are moving from the fairy tales of first grade to stories of the saints, fables and folktales. They are exploring the realm of human traits, the polarities from the good to the bad. These morality tales instruct them on how to be good friends and classmates, creating a cohesive community. 

The eighth grade recently finished their Main Lesson block: Revolutions. The exploration focused on the French, American, and Industrial Revolutions. As part of their study, the students designed and created artistic projects over three weeks, presenting pieces relevant to the particular time period or the theme of change, including: paintings, models, creative writing, clothing, and multi-media sculpture. They also took in field experiences, visiting the Lexington Green and sites along the Freedom and the Black Heritage Trails.

In celebration of the Autumn Moon Festival, Mr. Yu, Ms. Bible and a number of our eighth graders presented a puppet play called “Chang’e Flew to the Moon." Students in kindergarten through middle school were captivated by their performance.

Although Saturday, June 17th was gray and cloudy with thunderstorms and heavy rain, the mood in the auditorium for the graduation ceremony was warm and bright. The Class of 2023 gathered with their class teacher, Elizabeth Reading, beloved faculty, family and friends to celebrate this special transition.

The sixth grade has just completed their Medieval History block, concluding with the Ceremony of Noble Good, often referred to as the Knighting Ceremony. The Ceremony stands as an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate an important rite of passage—moving from childhood into young adulthood.

Congratulations to the seventh grade on their extraordinary performance of Don Quixote! The play was an incredible tour de force, with dynamic staging and costuming, puppetry, music and wonderful acting. Bravo!

Recently, in the third grade’s currency math block, the students had a wonderful time creating their own merchandise for the various stores in the “Third Grade Snowflake Mall.”  After making gifts in school and at home, the students priced their items and each child was given an allowance of “school money” to spend at the mall. 

Over the past couple of weeks, students in grades 1–7 have been preparing for the Lunar New Year holiday in their Mandarin classes. Students created beautiful crafts representing different elements of the festival and will experience a traditional meal next week.