Press
Press release December 12, 2006WSPHS Newsletter March 9,2007Los Altos Town Crier, March 21, 2007WSPHS Newsletter April 6, 2007WSPHS Newsletter May 11, 2007WSPHS Newsletter July 21, 2007WSPHS Newsletter August 20, 2007Cupertino Courier, September 12, 2007
Awards
On March 8, 2007, this website won a
"Dottie" award in the education category. Congratulations to Sara Raffo (WSP, 1996) at
Twin Theory Design for creating this beautiful site. Specials thanks to
Evan Winslow Smith for contributing his creative expertise in design, graphic art and photography to this effort.
Message to the Community
Report from the High School
Our First Year’s Odyssey
This high school has slowly been finding its way to creation since Waldorf School of the Peninsula was formed 25 years ago. A High School Research Committee, working from Winter 2003 to Spring 2004 quickened the creation, and an extremely generous family donation in the Winter of 2006 finally encouraged the declaration: “We will proceed until we hit a wall.” The signals, instead, urged the project forward, until the definitive proclamation at the school's 2007 opening ceremony that the high school, with its ten pioneering students, was open for learning.
The idea of a high school, of course, is different from the reality. What could inspire a family to embrace the gestating seed of this new institution, to trust--as all pioneers must--that the vision will lead beyond the ordinary, beyond the sacrifices, to an extraordinary education and life-defining personal growth? One of the attractions for many students was an inner knowing, cultivated through their Waldorf lower school, of the power of discovery through careful observation, story, integration of art, music, and movement, and the development of social cohesion and understanding. At the same time, both our Waldorf students and those joining us from other schools were ready to dive into the high school academic experience in a tenacious way, awakening themselves to new capacities and new ways of exploring the world.
Visiting and part-time teachers from Latvia, Honolulu, New Hampshire, and others closer at hand brought expertise, variety, and excitement. Cross-over faculty from the lower school carried excellence and continuity, and our one full-time teacher gave a taste of the future with her sense of fun and love for learning. A part-time administrative staff and school counselor helped mold the new school's infrastructure, including the social/emotional work that will be a foundational underpinning. The High School Steering Committee, so crucial in the forming of the school, continued to provide a steady directional rudder, financial expertise and planning, and clear thinking and feedback. Our Waldorf mentor, Betty Staley, visited regularly to observe classes, meet with faculty and steering committee, and lend her invaluable expertise and encouragement.
The alchemy of all this commitment was a vibrant energy that caught the interest of visiting teachers and mentors within the Waldorf community, attracted new teachers, sparked inquiries from local families looking for an alternative high school experience, and kept us enthusiastically engaged in the search for what our school wants to become. The experience of bringing the world into the classroom and taking the classroom into the world--for example through a farming work week at Rudolf Steiner College’s biodynamic garden, a colonial history and industrial revolution trip to the Boston area, and geology fieldwork near Mount Shasta--presented to us a school “gesture” of experiential learning. We initiated service learning and practical work through individual apprenticeships at local enterprises --bike shop, environmental camp, gymnastics school, foster care excursions, chiropractor, and auto shop.
We are committed to both the flourishing of each individual at our school and the acquiring of communication and social skills that allow each to contribute powerfully to the whole This commitment also includes the challenge of balancing form and freedom with respect to student rules and the ways adults maintain authority, as well as understanding the real gifts and the needs of today's teenagers.
Next year, we will strive to more consciously raise our heads from the “doing” to reach out to the local and Waldorf communities--to receive and give out those sparks of inspiration that put us on the path of positive change for our world.
As we add a new Freshman class this fall, we will more than double our size, have several exciting new teachers on board, and be able to build on the momentum of a very gratifying first year. We are grateful for our many sources of support and inspiration.
With warm wishes,
Mary Jane Di Piero
High School Coordinator
