Waldorf School celebrates a quarter-century
Keep it simple
What: An evening with educator and family counselor Kim John Payne, author of “Simplicity Parenting”
When: 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19
Where: Veterans’ Memorial Theater, 203 E. 14th St.
Tickets: A $5 donation is suggested; to reserve a seat, call the Davis Waldorf School at (530) 753-1651 or visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/193631
Driving north from Davis along Highway 113 or on Sycamore Lane, you may have seen the red, earthen wall just past North Davis Farms and wondered “What’s back there? Some sort of school?”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Davis Waldorf School and provides a perfect opportunity to discover the world behind that wall.
From its humble beginnings in a rural farmhouse on County Road 96, the Davis Waldorf School has expanded into a 5-acre campus serving more than 200 children from preschool through eighth grade. This fall, the school celebrates a quarter-century of educating the whole child — head, heart and hands — by combining Back-to-School Night with an open house anniversary celebration.
On Friday, Sept. 23, at 5:30 p.m., members of the public are invited to come help celebrate and learn more about the school and its history. The evening will provide an opportunity to tour the campus, with its recent “green building” expansion, share in the art and music created by students, and view a photo display chronicling the school’s history.
Bring a picnic dinner or purchase a dinner to be enjoyed al fresco.
In addition to the 25th anniversary celebration, the Davis Waldorf School will sponsor an evening with educator and family counselor Kim John Payne, author of “Simplicity Parenting” (Ballantine/Random House, 2009). Payne encourages parents to simplify their homes and their children’s schedules to help children lead calmer, happier lives and to do better socially and in school.
The public is invited to hear him speak at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, at the Veterans’ Memorial Theater, 203 E. 14th St. Reservations can be made through http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/193631 or by contacting the school at www.daviswaldorf.org or (530) 753-1651.
Looking forward
History can both illuminate the past and inspire the future. By 1991, the Davis Waldorf School had outgrown its farm campus on County Road 96, and serendipitously was offered a gift of land at 3100 Sycamore Lane.
“This was a dream come true, yet we were not really ready financially to build,” school administrator Kelly Brewer remembers.
At a community meeting where the pros and cons of the move were being debated, Brewer recalls how founding teacher Clifford Monks stood up and said, simply, “It’s time.”
From that moment, the decision was made, and an intensive capital campaign was undertaken to raise the funds. Davis architect Jim Zanetto designed the striking rammed-earth buildings, with their foot-thick walls of earth and clay, which house classrooms for grades one through four. Completed in 1992, the innovative, eco-friendly buildings were a testament to community support and community sweat.
Photographs show parents and faculty digging trenches, laying pipes and painting walls in the late summer before school started. Together with the rustic Almond House and a cluster of portable buildings, the new classrooms housed Waldorf School children and teachers for many years.
By 2009, however, growth in enrollment had again caused the school to become stretched at the seams. This time, Brewer found herself in the position of leading the school toward a new expansion. At a board/faculty retreat that year, she drew upon the past, saying simply, “It’s time.”
Completed in 2010, the first phase of Davis Waldorf School’s expansion included the construction of two new wings. The administration and kindergarten buildings were assembled off-site by Zeta construction, with many eco-friendly and energy-saving features such as zero-VOC paints, sustainable materials and lots of natural lighting.
The administration building roofs also were retrofitted to eventually accommodate plantings as green roofs.
New buildings, even pre-assembled ones, do not insert themselves into the landscape. Last year, parents again pitched in, moving fences and relocating the entire lower-grades playground to make way for the new wings.
This year, on Aug. 27, when the school community came together for the annual Campus Beautification Day, faculty, parents and students joined in planting new landscaping around the administration wing and painting the new multipurpose room.
Other new features and programs for 2011 include a refurbished third-grade room (part of a plan to renovate one classroom each year), expanded movement and language programs, two full preschool classes, additions to the school vegetable gardens and, to the excitement of the students, a full-size basketball court.
Ready to celebrate
Polished, planted and painted, the Davis Waldorf School is ready for its big birthday on Sept. 23. Alumni parents, students and teachers will be returning to the school, with some of the school’s first graduates planning special performances.
Organizers hope to see many new faces as well, helping the Davis Waldorf School celebrate its first 25 years.
Interested parents or guardians also may arrange to tour the school by calling Brewer or Bessie Oakley at (530) 753-1651.
— Christy Corp-Minamiji is a Davis freelance writer. Reach her at cminamiji@earthlink.net
Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=78806
Posted by Christy Corp-Minamiji
on Sep 6 2011.
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