Weekender
A Newsletter from the Youth Initiative High School Waldorf Initiative
Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA Friday January 26, 2007 Editor: Conrad Rehbach
Calendar
Every Wednesday
3:15 PM Administration Group Meeting
Sunday Jan 28—Friday Feb 02
Junior Class College Trip
Monday Jan 29
3:15 PM Long Range Planning Meeting
Monday Feb 05
3:15 PM Faculty Meeting
Monday Feb 12
3:15 PM Long Range Planning Meeting
Feb 19—23
NO SCHOOL
Monday Feb 19
10:00 AM—3:00 PM Faculty In-Service
Tuesday Feb 20
9 AM—5 PM Parent Teacher Conferences
Wednesday Feb 21
3 PM—8 PM Parent Teacher Conferences
Tuesday Feb 20
9 AM—5 PM Parent Teacher Conferences
Feb 21—Mar 17
2007 Guatemala Trip
“Let’s dance!” YIHS students are hitting the dance floor. Instructors: AnnaJo Doerr and Shawn Lavoie
Eurythmy Ambassadors Visit from Chicago. Twenty-two 12th Graders from the Chicago Waldorf School visit this weekend with their graduation eurythmy performance. Program includes classical, romantic and modern music, poetry and humoresque pieces. Please note the change in venues and scheduling and mark your calendars with these events. Saturday night 8:00 pm Youth Initiative takes on the Chicago Waldorf School in a co-ed basketball match at the La Farge School Gym. Gather up a carpool and come cheer for our small town team. Sunday morning Studio performance at 11:00 in the Old Main Building. Includes interactive demonstration of basic eurythmy principles. Free will donation accepted to help cover costs of their visit. Monday, January 29th, 11:00 am performance for grades 1-8 and the high school at the Temple Theatre. Open to all parents; come see what high school eurythmy looks like in action. Free will donation accepted from parents. Children will not be charged admission. Home stay in Viroqua still being sought. Contact Liz Cox at 637-3915 if you can host a student.
Tartuffe Auditions. Auditions for the spring play will be held after school on Tuesday Jan. 30 from 3:15-4:30 in the auditorium. Anyone interested in either play should attend. We will be reading short monologues or scenes from Tartuffe. There will be another audition on Tuesday Feb. 6 after school for those who cannot attend the first audition. —K O’Brien
YIHS faculty helps with waxing skis in Italy. YIHS photography teacher Ben Agar, sometimes referred to as Dr. Ben Agar, returns today from a one week stay in the Olympic Village in Torino Italy. Dr. Ben was working/playing in the Alps in the official position of Doctor to the Thai Olympic Ski Team!! (one skier, long story) … Does this bring flashbacks to the Jamaican Bobsled team of the 1986 Olympics in Calgary, Canada or what??!! While off playing, Dr. Ben's very capable son Cole (former YIHS alumnus and Photography teacher ) and daughter Hanna (just returned from Art/Photography University courses on the East Coast) have been covering for the Photography classes.
While former YIHS faculty is offering help to jump start our fundraising with abandoned exercise bikes. I'm working on a book titled The Human-Powered Home to be published by New Society Publishers in 2008. It will be an updated compendium of information on human-powered devices -- a brief history, when and why they make sense, how to make and use them, what's commercially available, and what people have improvised. The book will also feature stories describing how human-powered devices are used around the globe. (In some villages in Mozambique, for example, electricity is available only 4 hours per day and pedal-powered electrical generators are used at other times. In Guatemala, an organization called Mayapedal makes custom pedal-powered devices, such as washing machines and grain mills, that save people many hours of labor each week.) Another significant aspect of the book is a small collection of plans so readers can make their own human powered devices -- for example, a TV run by pedaling a stationary bike, a hand-powered paper shredder, a pedal-powered washing machine, etc. I'm currently constructing a bunch of these devices in our basement, and I'm running out of stationary bikes after canvassing local dumps and yard sales. So I'm soliciting used, upright or recumbent, stationary bikes in decent working condition (pedals and chains still turn, bolts and tubes not entirely rusted -- but nonessential parts like tension control, height adjusters, speedometers, etc. don't need to work) to sacrifice to research. For every stationary bike donated I'll donate $10 to YIHS, up to a maximum of 10 bikes. Anyone can simply drop off a stationary bike in our driveway at 831 S. Rusk Ave., Viroqua. Many thanks! —Tamara Dean
2007 YIHS Junior Tour LOGISTICS UPDATE—January 24, 2007. Greetings Juniors: Plans for our College Tour are basically complete. Adam Cox and I will be drivers and chaperones. Please view the attached page for a complete itinerary. As you will see, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the Winningham family for their hospitality. – Jacob
Some important details:
Departure: Please plan to meet at the PRWS Old Main Building at 11 AM on Sunday, January 28. We will have a potluck lunch with students of the Chicago Waldorf School, following a eurythmy performance/demonstration. Juniors should plan to bring a green salad, fruit salad, or baked good to pass. Bring lots. We have 50-60 people to feed. Return: I expect to be back in Viroqua by 4 PM on Friday, Feb. 2nd
What to bring:
MONEY: $15 for gas money, to be collected by driver at the beginning of the trip. $15 for hotel stay in Galesburg, IL, to be collected by Jacob at beginning of trip. $50 (at least) in cash for meals, etc. To be kept by the student, used as needed. TOTAL: $80.00
BEDDING: We will primarily be sleeping on floors. Everyone should bring a sleeping bag, ground pad, and pillow. CLOTHES: Please bring some warm clothes, coats, hats, and comfortable walking shoes. Bring a swimsuit and towel, since colleges sometimes offer to let us swim in their pools. Please pack light, as space will be tight in vehicles.
STILL NEEDED: --A Car Top Carrier, or two, for extra luggage. --A personal cell phone, or two, for communication between vehicles and for emergencies. Make sure it will work out of state.
Emergency Contacts: In the case of an emergency while we are away, please consult the itinerary and try to contact the school/host where we are at that time: Cornell College: (800) 747-1112 or (319) 895-4477; Coe College: (877) 225-5263; Comfort Inn (Galesburg, IL); (309) 344-5445; Knox College: (800) 678-5669 or (309) 341-7144; David and Mara Winningham: (641) 469-3923; Maharishi University: (800) 369-6480 or (641) 472-1110; Grinnell College: (800) 247-0113 or (641) 269-3600; Luther College: (800)-458-8437 or (563) 387-2000
Junior College Tour 2007 Itinerary.
Sunday: January 28: 11:00 AM: Meet at PRWS, Attend Chicago Waldorf Performance
12:00 PM: Potluck Lunch with CWS students: Bring a dish to pass.
1:00 PM: Depart for Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA. 3 hrs.
6:00 PM: Meet Counselor at Cornell College
-Accommodations provided by Cornell.
Monday: January 29: 8 AM--Tour Cornell, attend classes, meet with counselors.
1 PM--Drive to Cedar Rapids (15 minutes)
1:30 PM—Tour Coe College
Late Afternoon: Depart for Galesburg, IL (2 hrs)
--Stay at Comfort Inn, Galesburg
Tuesday: January 30: 10:00 AM—Tour Knox College, attend classes, meet counselors.
PM—Depart for Fairfield, IA 2hrs.
6:00 PM—Arrive at Winningham home, Fairfield, IA
--Stay with Winninghams
Wednesday: January 31: Tour Maharishi University of Management. Attend classes, meet with counselors. Sights and sounds of Fairfield, IA.
--Stay with Winninghams
Thursday: February 1st: 9:00 AM: Depart for Grinnell, IA. (2 hrs)
11:00 AM—Tour Grinnell College. Attend classes, meet with counselors.
--Accommodations: Brother of Annie Brennen .
Friday: February 2nd: 9:00 AM: Depart for Decorah, IA
12:30 PM: Tour Luther College. Attend classes, meet with counselors.
PM: Depart for Viroqua. (2 hrs.)
--Back home by 4 pm.
700 miles / 15 mpg = 48 gallons X $2.00/gal. = $93 / 6 passengers = $15 gas money per student
Meals & Accommodations:
Sun. Lunch: CWS Potluck
Dinner: On our own Cornell College
Mon. Breakfast: Cornell
Lunch: Cornell
Dinner: Coe Comfort Inn, Galesburg, IL
Tues. Breakfast: On our own
Lunch: Knox
Dinner: Winninghams Winninghams, Fairfield, IA
Weds. Breakfast: Winninghams
Lunch: Maharishi University Dinner: Winninghams Winninghams
Thurs. Breakfast: Winninghams
Lunch: Grinnell
Dinner: On our own Private home, brother of Annie Brennen
Fri. Breakfast: On our own
Lunch: Luther
Save the date! You are warmly invited to attend our 7th annual Spring Midwest Anthroposophy Conference with James Ulness, Ph.D., keynote speaker March 16 -18, 2007, Viroqua, WI. Theme: "Facing Karma: How Our Lives are Affected from Out of the Blue." The focus of this conference will on the role karma plays in personal destiny. A series of three lectures by James Ulness, Ph.D. Saturday Workshop choices: Anne-Marie Fryer: Water Color Painting to develop the capacity to meet the future.
Conrad Rehbach: Creative Writing as a Preparation for Meditation, and Facilitated Group Discussion related to the keynote addresses.
Adrienne Caldwell: Preparation for Meditation: Posture through Spatial Dynamics, and Preparation for Meditation: Centering through Spatial Dynamics
Sarah Caldwell: Nurturing Arts to find the strength to meet the unknown
Sunday workshop: James Ulness: Facing Life with Meditation: How to Begin Your Daily Practice. The Art of Meditation for all levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced.
Saturday night community dinner and dance at Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School!
Sponsored by the Viroqua Anthroposophy Group and Sophia Institute. Cost: $90 for the full conference ($80 if pre-registered by March 2) or $15 per workshop/lecture. Private appointments available with James Ulness. For more information, contact: Sheila Andersen at sheila@leadingedgereview.com. Look for the full brochure in the mail or soon at http://www.facingkarma.com/metadot/index.pl
Driftless Folk School Winter Classes. The Driftless Folk School would like to announce that enrollment is still open for the following classes: Spinning: Jan 21; Tile Making: Jan 20; Dressing a Salad: Jan 27; Bicycle Maintenance: Feb 10; Homebrewing: Feb 17; Flatbreads: Feb 24. For more information please call 608-675-3115 or email at registrar@driftlessfolkschool.org. You can also download the latest catalog at www.driftlessfolkschool.org.
Found on the Internet by Ita:
You know you've
been a child of Waldorf when ...
1. you know pencil shavings make everything prettier
2. you rip your pants and instead of throwing them away, you whip out
thread and a needle and fix them
3. faries and gnomes were your childhood friends
4. You or one of your friends was a faculty child
5. knitting is not just a new trend- you've done it since first grade
6. you've made socks, hats, potholders, flutecases, stuffed animals, and
sewn your own clothes
7. you know how to make a book from paper, and string.
8. it doen't seem weird to have the same teacher for eight years
9. kickball is awesome
10. tie dye was part of your dress code as a child
11. at least one of your woman teachers doesn't shave
12. you've dyed your hair an unatural color at least once ... or wondered
what you would look like with purple hair
13. you've held hands and skipped around a pole, and no one thought it was
weird
14. you've lived in a house without TV at some point
15. you can spell out words with your arms... no need for the finger
16. you have eurythmy shoes laying around your house
17. you've worn a eurythmy gown
18. you know what eurythmy is
19. you know the first names of alot of your teachers
20. everybody in the school knows if you ditch class, or break a rule
21. you know not to breathe near the blue paint
22. you can play a wooden recorder
23. you can never forget your embarrassing childhood- they chose a picture
of you to go on the school brochure
24. you didn't have barbies or GI joe, you had silks and wooden trucks
25. you know all the bible stories even though you've never set foot
inside a church
26. you wonder if Waldorf has an agreement with Volvo to only drive their
cars
27. cheerleaders, football players, and all things "public school" are not
only scorned, but feared
28. you've been asked "isn't that a cult?" when you say you go to Waldorf
29. the thought of main lesson book nights haunt you years after you
graduate
30. you've been in at least one Shakepeare play
31. you've used the words "Waldork" and "Waldorfian"
32. you couldn't wait to get out of there, but once you did you wanted to
be back
33. you don't know the pledge of allegiance, but "I do behold the world"
and the Bell Ringing verse are permanently imprinted in your brain
34. you know in your heart that no matter how hard you try to escape, you
will always be a child of Waldorf
Get up early, have fresh milk. Brenda & Dean Jensen, who live outside of Westby, are looking for a young adult to milk approx. 100 sheep. Schedule is twice/day, morning & evening, Friday - Sunday, plus Thursday evening. Must have own transportation, and do a good job cleaning up. Pay is $15 per milking (which should take approx. 1 1/2 hours). 634-2521.