Weekender
A Newsletter from the Youth Initiative High School Waldorf Initiative
Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA Friday 22, 2006 Editor: Conrad Rehbach
Calendar
Every Wednesday
3:15 PM Administration Group Meeting
Dec 25—Jan 05
Holiday Break—NO SCHOOL
Monday Jan 08
3:15 PM Faculty Meeting
Monday Jan 15
3:15 PM Long Range Planning Meeting
Monday Jan 22
3:15 PM Faculty Meeting
Monday Jan 29
3:15 PM Long Range Planning Meeting
Needs List
1. Volunteer(s) to clean out and sort through items in our storage room and costume room. Come in any time for any amount of time to help with this. See Conrad for list of tasks and instructions
2. Seats for 15 passenger shuttle bus
3. Flat panel LCD computer monitors
4. Curtains or shades for all rooms
5. Office type chairs
6. Beautification of an area of your choice at school
7. Cleaning services
8. YIHS sign for Landmark Center building (12’ x 8’)
9. Someone to make and install a door with a lock for the costume room
10. Someone to fix/caulk leaking sky lights
Candles for Christmas—Photograph by Forest Romary (grade 10)
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and all the best for the New Year
—from all us here at the YIHS Weekender office
Annual Appeal. Our annual appeal letter has been sent out and we have received already a good number of donations. A big thank you to all of you who have already sent in a donation to our school! This is our most important fundraiser of the year and we appreciate your support very much. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to our school, please send in your donation in the mail or use the convenient online option (which is also safe and secure!) to donate via our website at www.yihs.net/school/development/
Anna Chotzen and Emily Colacino counting microorganisms at BTCI, a biotechnology firm in Madison (12the grade field trip/Biotechnology course. Instructor: Vicki Ramsay) …
…
while Helen Beutler prepares some genetically altered soft drink mix
YIHS Fine Arts/Photography Calendar for 2007. The perfect gift for yourself or even others! We have a supernice Photography Calendar for 2007 for sale. This calendar features black and white art photography (13), a dap of color, full 13 months calendar pages with ample room for scheduling appointments and predicting snow days for 2007. Size: 11” x 17”. And best of all, it’s free! (Shipping and handling fee of $12 applies). Simply send a check for $12 to the YIHS, Calendar Division, 500 E Jefferson Street #302, Viroqua WI 54665 USA and we will send you a free calendar within 48 hours of receipt of check. Or buy online at www.yihs.net/school/development/ - click on “donation” - enter “2007 Calendar” in the field labeled “payment for” and pay $12 to the YIHS via paypal. It’s that simple.
New Student Fundraising Matching Grant Donor. Paper Scissors Stone of Viroqua, Wisconsin has joined the Student Fundraising Matching Grant program. Thanks. Foro info on the Student Fundraising Matching Grant program contact Liz Cox, YIHS development coordinator.
Junior Class College Trip Rescheduled: January 28-February 2, 2007. The Junior Class College Tour has been officially rescheduled for the week of January 28-February 2. This will allow us to visit colleges at a time when they will be in session and able to host us, as well as allowing the 11th grade class to participate in Theme Week in April. For this trip we will need at least one adult driver/chaperone and two vehicles suitable for 5 or 6 passengers. This is an excellent opportunity for a parent to get a close look at colleges and to have a great time traveling with the students. Chaperones should be willing and prepared to camp out on floors throughout the week. Depending on the willingness of colleges to host us, I plan to arrange visits to the following schools:
--Knox College, Galesburg, IL
--Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, IA
--Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
--Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
--Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA
--Luther College, Decorah, IA
--St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
It is likely that at least one of these schools will be dropped. The Winningham family has generously agreed to host us in Fairfield. If anyone has contacts in any of the other places we might visit, please get in touch with me. --Jacob Hundt
Finance Update. For 2006/2007 we set ourselves ambitious fundraising goals, which included raising funds for the science/kitchen remodeling project towards which we raised $6000+. Thank you all who contributed to this project.
Fundraising for operating costs of the school:
General donations/grants
Goal $40000 Receipts to date $12810
Student Fundraising
Goal $10000 Receipts to date $3092*
* Childcare $335; Coffeehouses $887; Holiday Faires $844; Kickapoo Valley Faire $504; Squash $399; Other $123
Student Fundraising/Matching Grant
Goal $20000 Receipts to date $5000**
** Rudolf Steiner Foundation/Grant
Parent Fundraising
Goal $7000 Receipts to date $2633***
*** Dinner Theatre $1442; Holiday Faires $399; True Botanica $332; Grape Picking $450; Other $10
January Driftless Folk School Classes. Driftless Folk School will be offering the following one-day classes in the month of January: Sat., Jan. 6: Baking Sourdough Bread. Instructors: Sofya and Jacob Hundt. Sat., Jan. 20: Ceramic Tile Making. Instructor: Devorah Yahn. Sun., Jan. 21: Spinning. Instructor: Virginia Goeke. Sat., Jan. 27: Dressing a Salad. Instructor: Marcee Murray King. The following multi-session classes will also be starting in January: Sat., Jan. 13: Introduction to World Religions. Instructor: Lars Bergan (six sessions). Sat., Jan. 13: Brain Tanning. Instructor: Butch Sterling (three sessions). For more information on these classes and more from Driftless Folk School, call (608) 675-3115 or download a copy of the Fall/Winter Catalog at www.driftlessfolkschool.org. Copies are also available from Jacob in the YIHS office.
Sophia Institute. Adult Education/Teacher Training in Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA. Foundation Studies Courses in Anthroposophy and the Arts. New Course Starting January 27, 2007. Part I: Introduction to Waldorf Education/Introduction to the Path of Self Development as given in Anthroposophy/Artistic Courses. Detailed Course Description at www.sophiainstitute.us or contact Conrad Rehbach at sauerkraut@mwt.net or 608-637-7091. Registration deadline: January 15, 2007.
Sessions:
Saturday January 27, 2007 (10:00 AM—3:00 PM)
Saturday February 10, 2007 (10:00 AM—3:00 PM)
Saturday February 17, 2007 (10:00 AM—3:00 PM)
Saturday March 03, 2007 (10:00 AM—3:00 PM)
Friday/Saturday/Sunday March 16-18 (Weekend Workshop)
Saturday March 31, 2007 (10:00 AM—3:00 PM)
Saturday April 21, 2007, 2006 (10:00 AM—3:00 PM)
Saturday May 05, 2007 (10:00 AM—3:00 PM)
Dear All, I have about 12 + Stella Natura calendars. Group priced is $10.00. Contact me if you want one. First come first serve basis. If they all sell and we need more I will have some at the Gathering January 19-21. Brian Wickert 608-637-8890
Midwest Anthroposophy Conference - March 16-18, Viroqua, WI with James Ulness, Ph.D., keynote speaker. "Facing Karma: How Our Lives are Affected from Out of the Blue" is the 2007 theme. Workshops include: Facing Life with Meditation: How to Begin Your Daily Practice (for all levels); Creative Writing as a Preparation for Meditation; Centering and Posture to Prepare for Meditation through Spatial Dynamics Movement; Watercolor Painting; Drawing with Light and Darkness, and discussion group on the theme. Community meals and Saturday night dance. Cost is $90 for the full conference; or $15 per talk/workshop. $80 if pre-registered by March 2. Contact Sheila Andersen, (608) 637-7206; sheila@leadingedgereview.com. Brochures may be downloaded next month at ww.facingkarma.com/metadot/index.pl
5th Annual North Central Region Biodynamic Group Gathering is January 19-20-21, 2007 at Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School in Viroqua, WI . The gathering is open to anyone interested in Biodynamics. Cost of the weekend is $30.00. Contact Brian Wickert for more details and brochure. 637-8890 or bwickert@frontiernet.net. Friday night potluck hosted by the Viroqua BD Group. Saturday we will have the farmer stories, Bob Bowers & Parker Forsell presenting the E-Myth and its application at Angelic Organics,the largest CSA in the midwest. Mac Mead will be speaking on Saturday night. Title of his talk: The Connection Between the Plants, the Planets, and the Metals in the Workings of Nature. This talk will be open to the publilc for $5.00 admission at the Old Main Building (321 E. Decker Street) at 7:00pm.
Christmas Caroling for one and all! Join us at 7 PM on Dec. 25. We will meet at 322 N. Dunlap Ave and go from there, depending on weather. There will be hot cider afterwards. If you have any Christmas cookies or other food to share bring it along. Questions? call Denise Doerr at 637-2716
Life After Waldorf High School
By Abraham Enten
"Education Toward Freedom" is one of the most important principles of Waldorf Education. Many schools use this phrase as a motto or as a key principle in describing themselves in brochures and other public material.
When Waldorf educators speak of "education toward freedom," they refer to
the development of individuals who are, out of their own inner strength,
able to forge their own destinies and find their rightful places in the
world. For parents, one of the most important ways in which this "freedom"
can be manifested is in their Waldorf-educated child having more, rather
than fewer options in their post-Waldorf educational life.
In my work as a consultant to schools, I find this to be one of the most
important issues about which parents need reassurance. "If I move, will my
child be okay in a public school?" "After eighth grade, how will she do in
a non-Waldorf environment?" are often-asked questions. And now, with more
than twenty Waldorf high schools operating in North America, the question
has become, "If my child goes to a Waldorf high school, will she be
accepted into the college of her choice?"
For several years, AWSNA has collected information about "life after
Waldorf high school" from the various high schools in North America. I
would like to look at the information about college and university
admissions for Waldorf students.
The information covers the years 1993-99. It is restricted to students
from the United States. During this period, more than 1100 students
graduated from Waldorf high schools. Of these, 78 percent immediately
entered college after finishing high school. An additional 10 percent were
planning to attend, but were delaying their entrance for a variety of
reasons. Thus, almost 90 percent of all Waldorf high school graduates
during this period continued their formal education after finishing
Waldorf high school.
In this context the crucial question is not whether Waldorf graduates go
to college, but, rather, "Where are they accepted and where do they go?"
The simple answer is, "Everywhere." They go to schools from Amherst to
Yale and from The University of Maine to the University of California at
San Diego. They go to local community colleges and to elite Ivy League
universities. The top students go wherever they want, and the ones who
struggle go wherever they can. Some go to design school or to schools that
concentrate on music or the visual/performance arts. Some even go to West
Point. The California graduates are accepted at every campus of the
university system and the students in other states attend public
universities in their areas.
It is important to point out, though, that schools of a certain type
actively seek out Waldorf graduates as potential students. These are some
of the top strata "liberal arts" universities and colleges. They
appreciate the cultivation of thinking and individual initiative that
takes place in a Waldorf environment. Waldorf students consistently are
accepted and attend schools such as Sarah Lawrence, Vassar, Bard, and
Oberlin, as well as St. John’s College and the Claremont Colleges in
southern California.
These institutions, as well as many others, have become increasingly
suspicious of the value of standardized testing in measuring anything
beyond a student’s ability to do well on standardized tests. They are
willing and able to look beyond these tests in assessing the abilities and
aptitudes of their applicants.
Nevertheless, these tests still play an important role in college
admissions. This is especially true for state universities, which receive
large numbers of applicants and which rely on the numbers (grade-point
averages and SAT scores) as criteria for acceptance.
California, for instance, has four Waldorf high schools. It also has a
state university system that is predicted to be overwhelmed with
applicants over the next several years. Many parents who opt to invest
their income in high school education for their child or children will
want these students to have the opportunity to attend less expensive,
state-supported universities. What can and should our school do to help
prepare students for this aspect of the college admissions process? Beyond
this, what more can our schools do to help expand the freedom of our
students to pursue the academic—or other—career of their choice?
I hope that, as the Waldorf movement grows and more schools complete their
development with the addition of a high school, attention will be paid to
developing the position of college/career counselor at the Waldorf high
schools. Perhaps workshops on this topic could be included within the
context of teachers’ conferences. Perhaps the DANA (Development and
Administrators’ Network of AWSNA) or AWSNA itself could sponsor seminars
in this area. Perhaps experienced counselors would be willing to share
their expertise with schools and individuals that are just beginning this
work.
The gifts that a Waldorf high school education can bring are of benefit to
the individual and the community. It is gratifying that the value of this
educational experience has been recognized by so many leading academic
institutions. As the number of Waldorf high school graduates continues to
increase, we are hopeful that these individuals will grow into positions
of leadership and responsibility in which their education can play a role
in their positive work in the community and the world.
Abraham Entin and his wife, Rachael Flug, have been parents at Highland
Hall Waldorf School in Los Angeles since 1978. They have two children who
graduated from that school’s high school. One has graduated from the
University of California at Santa Cruz, and the other still attends the
University of California at Berkeley. They also have a child still in
lower school. Mr. Entin currently consults to Waldorf schools on
enrollment issues and on strategic planning, and has conducted numerous
AWSNA-sponsored workshops on enrollment.