Among the celebrations of its 40th year in operation, the Whidbey Island Waldorf School—WIWS —is hosting a spring festival open to the greater community.
A Festival of Flowers is planned May 10th from 10:30 to 1 PM in the South Whidbey Community Center’s back field.
Events include games, a cake raffle, music, Maypole dancing, lemons with peppermint stick straws, a middle school bake sale and flower crown making.
Celebrating seasons through festival is a core component of Waldorf Education, one of the largest independent school systems in the world. Founded in 1919 by Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf Education takes a whole-child approach—designed to cultivate a child’s physical, intellectual and spiritual well being.
“At WIWS and in Waldorf schools across the world, the elements of festival — changing of the seasons, community in gratitude and celebration, song, story and sometimes silence—permeate the life at the school, and help establish the cadence of the year,” notes the WIWS website. “Throughout history and in all civilizations, there are rituals reflecting nature’s rhythms. For people today, festivals can help provide a real touchstone with the cycles of the earth and the soul nurturing they provide. Reverence, ritual and rhythm are three integrated aspects of Waldorf Education.“
As someone ‘born into the Waldorf school culture,’ Cordula Hetland currently teaches kindergarten at WIWS. Both of her parents were Waldorf teachers. Her father attended school in Stuttgart that was directed by Rudolf Steiner.
“My dad switched from public school to the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart in fourth grade,” Hetland explained. “He thought it was boring, and gave his teacher the hardest time. Rudolf Steiner was the director of the school. My dad’s teacher said please come and observe. He came and observed. Took him five minutes. At the next faculty meeting my father was moved up a grade. This changed everything for him—he then fell in love with both his teacher and Waldorf Education.”
Hetland’s father went on to teach science and math for Waldorf high school students in Germany. Her mother taught elementary and middle school Waldorf students in both Germany and Austria. She published children’s books and he published high-school curriculum books.
“I grew up with all this, from when I was 3 in preschool to 12th grade graduation,” Hetland recalled. “The funniest thing—I had a kindergarten teacher who didn’t enjoy her work. As a six-year-old I decided I should be a kindergarten teacher. By nine the plan was fixed. I finished high school and signed up for becoming a Waldorf early childhood teacher.”
After finishing her early childhood training in Germany, she was the founder of a Waldorf Kindergarten near Vienna. And now, decades later, after teaching across Austria, Germany and the greater Seattle area, she now leads her own kindergarten class at WIWS. She said early childhood teaching is critical in forming the foundation of our lives.
“For me, being a teacher is not a job. It’s more a life choice I made,” Hetland said. “When I started teaching in Austria I had 24-27 children with an assistant. Now, I have 12-15. With sensory integration and ADHD and other challenges coming our way, we strive to create a calm and soothing environment that is not over-stimulating.”
She believes in the curriculum as a cornerstone for young learners.
“Knowing the needs of children in today’s ever-evolving environment we strive for thriving and meeting the children where they are,” she added. Waldorf education is as unique as each child in the eyes of an early childhood teacher—we strive to protect early childhood with a play-based curriculum. One focused on imagination, creativity and connection to the natural world.”
The private school, shares more than 100 acres of forest and meadow with the Whidbey Institute in Clinton, now hosts about 130 students from pre-school through Grade 8.
Eighth graders hosted an open house April 16 at Bayview Hall, based on six months of working on projects demonstrating their interest and skills. The projects included displays on photography, animation, the beauty industry, clay art, baking, film making, vehicle maintenance, and the advertising and design industry.
As part of the all-school ‘Beautification and Land Work Party’ on Saturday, April 26, Alissa Collins, a biodynamic gardener and parent of a second grader, will lead a “stir and spray” activity. This hands-on experience will introduce the core principles of biodynamic gardening, benefiting children’s learning, the community, and the land.
Waldorf biodynamic farming takes a holistic approach, viewing the farm as a living, interconnected system where soil, plants, animals, and people all play essential roles. While similar to organic farming, it incorporates spiritual and ecological principles into land stewardship.
Saturday, May 17 from 11 AM to noon at the Langley Library, Waldorf’s early childhood teachers present a puppet play, “Mashenka and the Bear.” The play is followed by a craft class in which children can make wool roving bees or butterflies.
Fifth graders will compete in an upcoming Olympiad, which includes other Waldorf schools participating in a Greek pentathlon of sports: discus throwing, javelin hurling, wrestling, relay and long jump.
An indigenous-inspired Coast Salish Cultural Sharing campout is planned for Waldorf fourth graders in May. It is led by Angela Lindstrom, Grades Pedagogical Director of the Whidbey Island Waldorf School. Lindstrom is of Native American descent—she is Ojibwe (Anishanabe) from the Great Lakes region on her mother’s side. Her father is part Eastern Band Cherokee.
While chatting with Hetland and interim administrator Kim Cooper, parents and their children walked by. Shawna Pinkston and her children Ellis, a fourth grader, and River, a student in Hetland’s class, joined the WIWS community last September after moving to Whidbey from Portland, Oregon.
“It’s magic,” said Ellis. “I’m working on animal reports. We’ve studied Norse mythology. We did a play—Idun and her golden apples. Now we’re official Waldorfians.”
River added, “I like to make gnomes. We colored eggs today.”
Kindergartners in Hetland’s class blew insides from raw eggs, using the material to later make German pancakes, and coloring the egg shells to hang from a tree centerpiece in their classroom.
“My husband came for a retreat and said you have to see this place,” Shawna Pinkston said. “Living in Portland was hard on Ellis and we came here during the summer, and thought it was a nature school. We walked the grounds, took our shoes off and walked in the meadow. We said this is it. Every morning we make a circle and I feel absolutely grateful we have our kids in such a wonderful environment. Miss Cordula is an angel from heaven.”
“It is important we are present as educators and ensure both diversity and inclusion in the classroom,” Hetland noted. “Belonging, being seen, being accepted are not always a given. Waldorf curriculum is wholistic, it is about teaching and nurturing the whole human being. Really teaching to the heart, the spirit and the mind. With Waldorf Education we are going beyond academics—we are caring for and nurturing the social and emotional needs of children as they develop into world citizens.”
In addition to the upcoming spring festival and class events, Whidbey Island Waldorf School is now enrolling for autumn in both the grades and early childhood. It will host 12 summer camp/school programs as well—all led by Waldorf teachers. Visit WIWS Admissions and Summer Camps for more information.
To learn more about the Whidbey Island Waldorf School visit this webpage.