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.

During their journey through the grades, Waldorf students learn of, and through, a broad range of world religions and cultures. Within this array, students experience the contributions and perspectives that each worldview brings to every discipline, from math, science and astronomy to music, art and culture. These rich explorations of different cultures and worldviews are matched with the developmental needs of the students.

The Autumn season brings two celebrations to the Spanish classroom: Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) and the Day of the Dead “Dia de los Muertos.”

On Saturday, June 18th, under beautiful blue skies and a crisp white tent, our graduates and their families gathered together with Jeanette Voss, their class teacher; school leadership, and other faculty and staff, for a graduation ceremony on the school field. It was a wonderful, joyful crowd. We are so very proud of this graduating class. We wish you all the very best and welcome you into our alumni community.