Music, Poetry, Tears, and Laughter – Eulogies for Class Teacher William Ward
Current Issue: Music, Poetry, Tears, and Laughter – Eulogies for Class Teacher William Ward (PDF)
Now and for all time to come, your cloak is woven whole.
Of what can never tear or fade and never will grow old.
Because you gave your cloak away, it ever will increase.
Of courage it is made, and life and light and peace.
-William Ward, from “St. Martin’s Pageant.” In Hawthorne Valley Harvest: A Collection of Plays for the elementary Grades, edited by William Ward (Ghent, New York: AWSNA Publications, 2009)
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Projections of the Self
Summer 2008 Issue: Projections of the Self (PDF)
There is a particular quality of the twelfth grade experience. As students near the conlusion of their time at the Hawthorne Valley School, they look toward the future, perhaps with new eyes. Many seniors visit and apply to colleges; others consider plans for work or travel. At the same time, these students may find themselves looking back, reviewing academic and class experiences. The curriculum actively supports the students in this process of reflection.
Read more of this issue of HVS News: Projections of the Self (PDF)….
A Greater Depth of Understanding
A Greater Depth of Understanding (PDF)
The arts play an integral role in Waldorf education; not just in the study of development of artistic technique, as in perfecting one’s ability to finger a Bach fugue or to create the effect of light and shadow on canvas, but in understanding the relationship between the arts and other academic disciplines. For often it is through the arts that students gain a deeper appreciation of language, science, and history. Can anyone who has seen Picasso’s Guernica forget the Spanish Civil War or fail to appreciate the horrors it visited upon the little town on an April afternoon 81 years ago? This issue of Hawthorne Valley School News discusses in greater detail how our students are afforded a greater depth of understanding through this interdisciplinary approach to education. We also profile faculty members Regine Shemroske and Steve Simonak, who are masters of the approach. ~ The Editors
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A Palette of Diversity
Those who have viewed the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries have no doubt been captivated not just by the narrative portrayed by their detailed images, but by the multitude of colors woven into these remarkable works of art.
From the silver and gilt wefts, to the deep blues, greens and reds of the flora and fauna, to the rich, creamy coat of the Unicorn, each individual thread contributes to the beauty as well as the strength of the fabric, so that the brilliance of these tapestries has endured for more than 600 years.
Humankind offers a similarly diverse palette, which not only contributes to its beauty, but also its ability to endure. For as former post laureate Maya Angelou has said: “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”
This issue of Hawthorne Valley School News focuses on diversity by showing how one Waldorf school in Israel, the Harduf School, is promoting peace among the region’s different cultures, and how the HVS curriculum strives to nurture an appreciation for diversity. ~ The Editors
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The Study of History
In this issue of The Hawthorne Valley School News, we discuss the school’s history curriculum and its place within a Waldorf education and highlight the findings of a recent survey of Waldorf school graduates and higher education. Through the poignant words of her father and sisters, we are also privileged to have a brief glimpse of the personal history of Rosemarie Elizabeth Sherman (HVS Class of 1996). Dr. Simon Frishkoff, our new science teacher, is the subject of this issue’s faculty profile. – The Editors
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Autumn Activity through the Head, Heart, and Hands
Autumn Activity through the Head, Heart, and Hands (PDF)
Autumn. As the growing cycle on the farm is ending, our school year begins anew and we sow the seeds of knowledge that with careful tending will flourish to enrich the spirit and intellect of the student, just as the farm’s bountiful harvest nourishes the body. In this issue of Hawthorne Valley School News we discuss how the school’s projects curriculum and school lunch program are strengthening our students’ relationship to our farm and valley. We also highlight “Practical Life in the Third Grade;” introduce our new program for parents of infants and very young children; welcome back teacher Stu Summer, who is guiding the HVS class of 2019 on their academic journey; and enjoy — albeit vicariously — the reunion of HVS’s class of 1997.
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REMARKABLE Voices, Memorable WORKS
REMARKABLE Voices, Memorable WORKS – Summer 2007 (PDF)
For the Class of 2007, Senior Projects Reveal a Discovery of Truth.
By Leif Garbisch, HVS Parent
“I have to be willing to take the risk, or I won’t get anywhere,” said Lailah Amstutz, referring to the leap she needed to take in order to move forward with her work. Similar words have been spoken before by artists, scientists, adventurers, by anyone not willing to stay put. And these same words could have been spoken by any of the 18 seniors who presented their year-long projects to an overflowing crowd in the Hawthorne Valley School Hall over two days in early May.
Every spring at Hawthorne Valley School the seniors take to the podium one by one. And one by one each student presents a project to which he or she has been intrinsically linked for much of the year. The projects have been journeys each student has made individually and now must share. Many have struggled, most have stressed, yet by May the seniors are ready to share their experiences. Standing at the podium before undistractible eyes, each senior speaks. Their words take shape as landscapes of who they are and where they’ve been for the past eight to ten months. And we, the audience, travel to these places, to these young people, these projects.
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The Movement Education Curriculum
The Movement Education Curriculum – March / April 2007 (PDF)
Have you ever wondered about the movement curriculum in a Waldorf school? What connects these meditative physical exerrcises, cicuses and pentathlons to each other—and to the broader curriculum? Why not an emphasis on sport and physical fitness? The answers go back to the very roots of Waldorf education. Read more ….
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Objective Observations Reveal Inner Truths
Objective Observations Reveal Inner Truths – January / February 2007 (PDF)
A basic tenet of scientific observation is that the phenomenon that is being observed is not affected or in any way changed by either the process of observation or the observer. In many cases, however, the reverse is not true. Often, when studying natural phenomena, the observer is profoundly affected. Whether gazing into a night sky to watch meteor showers occurring light years away, or sitting in the garden to detect the lemony scent an evening primrose releases at the moment its petals unfurl in the twilight, we humans have a propensity to be deeply moved by witnessing such seemingly magical events in nature — sometimes to the extent it changes the course of our lives. Illustration from Human Anatomy and Physiology block from the grade eight curriculum by Jirina Garbisch.
This issue of Hawthorne Valley School News focuses on the science curriculum in our high school, and how that curriculum has the potential to positively influence our students. We also explore the advantages that place-based education offers to our students in the natural “laboratory” that exists in the beautiful and complex environment of our Valley.
In addition, the recently published book, Wilderness Survival, co-authored by Michael Pewtherer, founder and director of the Woodland Ways camp, is reviewed, and we introduce Annalee Riley and Theodor Lundin, who recently came to HVS as class teachers to help lead our students through their exciting journey.
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Bringing in the Light
Bringing in the Light – November / December 2006 (PDF)
Ancient cultures throughout the world often illuminated the darker months of autumn and winter with festivals of light. The festival of Yule (derived from the Indo-European term “ghel,” meaning “to shine”) began in northern European lands and was traditionally celebrated with bright, golden decorations to evoke the sun and coax its warming light into the shortened days of mid-winter. During the Celtic festival of Samhainn, villagers lit torches from a common bonfire and carried the flame home to kindle fires on their own hearths, believing this act held the community together through the long winter months. Just as we celebrate the special characteristics of the different seasons, so too should we celebrate the special qualities of different cultures. For it is these differences that give humanity’s tapestry its rich colors and textures. In this issue of the Hawthorne Valley News, we discuss some ways in which the Waldorf curriculum creates awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures and their rituals and traditions. We also explore, among other topics, the importance of ritual and rhythm in the life of the child.