The Denver Waldorf School Podcast

In past episodes, we've heard Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss what makes our Waldorf high such an engaging, unique, and fulfilling experience. But what do our students have to say about our high school? This week, we are grateful to five of our high school students for running the show and sharing all about their high school experience. They candidly talk about our school culture, the unique relationships they share with our teachers, their workload, and how they feel their Waldorf education has prepared them for life beyond our doors. It is always a great gift for us to be able to hear our students reflect on their educational journey with gratitude and joy!

There is a lot of talk of wonder at The Denver Waldorf School. As we celebrate our school's 50th anniversary this year, wonder has been the theme throughout - for our "Wonders of Waldorf" Michaelmas event, for our annual giving campaign to "The Wonder Fund," and for our upcoming gala celebrating "50 Years of Wonder." In this week's episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss the deeper underpinnings of this concept of wonder and how it is beneath all that we do in Waldorf education. They will also share how we as parents can support the cultivation of wonder in our children, and how wonder is a necessity for true knowledge to develop.

Imagine asking your high schooler, “how was school today?” and receiving an engaged and enthusiastic response. That is the wonder of The Denver Waldorf High School. In this week's episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) take a deep dive into what makes our high school such an engaging, unique, and fulfilling experience. High school should be challenging, not a grind, and it should open up new opportunities, not foreclose possibilities. Listen to their conversation to hear how we cultivate a learning environment with depth, purposeful intensity, curiosity, and joy as our students prepare for their journeys beyond DWS.

On this week's episode, Kelly Mollinet (our School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (our Educational Director) discuss the question: "what's up with community at The Denver Waldorf School?" Our families, our students, and our educators choose this community with love and intentionality. But what does it mean to join a diverse community? How can we move from curiosity and interest to deep enthusiasm for the journey of our fellow community members? And where do we find the courage, heart, and vulnerability to show up as our authentic selves? Join Kelly and Charlie for an exploration of the ways in which community serves as the glue for everything we do at The Denver Waldorf School!

For this week's podcast episode, we are grateful to be able to catch up with DWS alum, Ian Connolly from the class of 2015. He is a legal scholar, a whitewater river rafting guide, and a key contributor to community environmental nonprofits. He was recently awarded the Wyss Scholarship, which seeks to support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues. Ian is currently a third-year law student at Lewis & Clark Law School with a focus on environmental and Native American law. We appreciated the chance to sit down with Ian and hear his reflections on how his Waldorf journey shaped who he is today. Episode notes referenced by Ian: https://canyonsinc.com/rivers/main-salmon/

On this week's podcast, DWS high school students ask and answer the tough questions about smartphone use -- and some of their answers may surprise you! Rising 12th grader, Oscar, interviews his fellow high school students on the positives and negatives of smartphone use, the appropriate age for a student to receive that first device, and advice for students and parents alike when navigating the world opened up by a smartphone. Honest and heartfelt, these students offer wisdom and practical tips for healthful smartphone use in these modern days.

What's up with technology at DWS? The Waldorf approach to education has always emphasized the importance of giving room to our children's imaginations to blossom - to be open to receive the beauty of the world we live in, to be free to grow into their unique selves, to nurture their creative spirits - and time away from technology is a significant part of this belief. At the same time, our Waldorf school is not inherently anti-technology. Yes, you will not find iPads or computers in our kindergartens or lower grades. Yes, our students are asked to leave any phones that come to school in their lockers during the day. And while in our classrooms you will see the focus is on the human to human connection between teacher and student, we do however integrate technology in an intentional and developmentally appropriate manner. Our high school has a wonderful Mac lab and 3D printer. We have introduced assistive technology for neurodiverse students starting in 4th grade. With technology touching every corner of our lives these days, on this week's podcast episode with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, they discuss the challenges and opportunities of raising children in this ever changing world.

On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) speak on the school's essential work and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Together, they identify and dismantle the barriers that often impede progress when it comes to addressing issues of race, ethnicity, and other identities within our Waldorf community. Recognizing that DEI work can be both essential and frightening, they offer practical advice for how to cross the threshold, embrace learning moments, and strive to create an inclusive community.

What's up with homework at DWS - what is the nature of it, how much, how often? On this week's episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Educational Director) discuss our Waldorf approach and goals with homework. In elementary school and even leading into middle school, we want children to experience childhood - to play, to interact with nature, to interact with their family and friends - and so the assignment of homework must be carefully considered. While you may see some math practice coming home or vocabulary, the usual rhythm of homework in our younger grades consists of reading and instrument practice. What we value most in a lesson is engagement, creativity, deep learning, and a meaningful lesson within our classrooms.

On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Educational Director) address a question that all too often provokes parental anxiety: how does my child measure up? Together, Kelly and Charlie contrast the holistic Waldorf model of assessment with the rote standardization at public and other private schools in the wake of federal legislation. At The Denver Waldorf School, teachers are attuned to each and every student's neuro and physical development, across multiple environments, on a daily basis. Charlies describes "teaching as an art form," in which an educator continually assesses each student as an individual, based upon a relationship of trust and growth over the years. Instead of just measuring a child's learning and progress through incremental assessments manufactured by outside companies, Waldorf teachers assess the whole child, in particular each child's readiness to learn and ability to digest class material and bring that knowledge back into the world. The Waldorf model allows students to flourish while aiming to remove the anxiety out of assessments.

In a recent New York Times article by Adam Grant, the power of "looping" was discussed as a key educational component in being able to unlock hidden potential in each student. In Waldorf education, this is something we have always understood and implemented - our students stay with the same main lesson teacher for multiple years through two loops- one teacher is with our students for main lesson from grades 1 through 4, and then the next loop follows from grades 5 through 8. In this episode, School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides discuss the value of these deep, connected relationships with our teachers, and how they benefit our students in receiving a social education- an education where they learn not just content, but a way of being in the world.

We're bringing back The Denver Waldorf Podcast with a new series of discussions with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, inspired by the question, "What's Up With That?!" In this first episode, we explore the question of what's up with that- where are all of the textbooks? In Waldorf schools across the globe, you will find "reverse textbook learning" as an integral part of our curriculum - meaning that our students don't study directly from textbooks, rather they create their own main lesson books which serve as a record of the academic facts of the lesson. These main lesson books integrate art along with other creative elements to synthesize the material. In this episode, Kelly and Charlie discuss the intention behind this part of our Waldorf education.

It is always a great gift to be reminded why the work of our education is so vitally important, and hearing our alumni reflect on their educational journey with gratitude and passion does just that. On this week's episode, we were able to catch up with two DWS graduates, Ivy Hunter and Ian Connolly. They candidly shared about how their experience at DWS prepared them for the world beyond our doors, how the relationships they built here have served them, and how they in turn are serving the world.

We start our days always with movement - whether jump roping, a run around the field, or a game of spaceball! And it's not just during the beginning of the day- we find ways to incorporate movement throughout our learning all day, each and every day. We understand that the body plays a vital role in all of our intellectual processes. On this week's episode, Movement Teacher Charlie Orphanides shares more about the importance of movement and the role it plays in our education and development.

This week, Education Director Vernon Dewey is joined by Movement Teacher and Therapeutic Movement Specialist Charlie Orphanides to talk about the nine-year change - a developmental stage that is a significant turning point in childhood. It is a time when the child first begins to see themself as an individual, and develop a new self-awareness of the world around them. They share how our curriculum is designed to meet them on this journey and how parents can help their child through this new awakening.

This is a recording of a parent education morning led by Education Director Vernon Dewey. Rhythm is a integral part to how we go about our days in the classroom - the predictability and consistency allow the children to flow from activity to activity naturally. During his discussion with parents, Vernon shares how rhythm can support our parenting in the home - whether at bedtime, gathered around the table, getting ready in the morning, or any part of our family life.

On this week's podcast, Education Director Vernon Dewey is joined by two longtime DWS art teachers, Kimberly Martin and Tom Clark. In their conversation, they share what it means to have an artistic education and what role the arts play in the development of every student, no matter their background or disposition.

On this week's episode, we are joined by our science teachers- Nancy Taylor, Adam Newman, and Tom Clark. They share more about the Waldorf approach to science, and how we work to develop capacities in observation and thinking - creating flexible and open learners ready to face a changing world.

We are a school that nurtures health in our children. That is what we do here. On this week's episode, Education Director Vernon Dewey sits down with Student Support Coordinator Sarah Boyer. They discuss what student support is, how it fits into the framework of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Sarah's own mission to transform how we think about student support and challenges and strengths of our children in general.

At its root, our school supports a healthy environment for growth, curiosity, and authenticity. And not just in the classroom- it's evident in our parent community, too. Today, we are joined by five members of The Denver Waldorf Racial Justice Parent Group. It was created by some of our parents here who felt a call for reexamination and growth in their own lives following George Floyd's murder. According to their mission statement, the group is committed to exploring the issues of racial justice through fostering a safe, open, warm and non-judgmental container by which to deepen our awareness through studying, growing and taking action together. On this episode, they share more about how they are working to inspire change within our community and beyond.

For today's high school student, preparing for the next step after graduation looks far different than it did 15 years ago, 5 years ago, even just 2 years ago. Standardized testing looks different (literally, as it's now digital, and even optional in some cases), the college admissions process looks at students more holistically, and even the financial aid landscape has new hills and valleys to navigate. On this week's episode, we sat down with DWS Next Steps coach Laura Shope to clear the air about the college application process and debunk many of the common myths.

On this week's episode, we are joined by our middle school and high school math teachers- Iliana Flefel, Sarah Meyer, and Adam Newman. They share more about our multifaceted approach to engaging our students in developing their mathematical thinking and capacities.

On this episode, we have the honor of chatting with Ginny Yurich, founder of the 1000 Hours Outside global movement. Her mission is to inspire families to simply spend more time in the great outdoors - soaking in the many benefits that nature provides for social, emotional, physical, and academic development. As a Waldorf school, a connection to nature is foundational to our learning as we cultivate a love for the world around us. Take a listen to hear more about why we believe that play and time outside are moments well spent.

Do you remember how old you were when your parents sat you down to have “the talk”? You know, the one about where babies come from? Or maybe the talk came from one of your teachers, or an older sibling, or from one of your peers. What we know now, as adults, and especially as parents, is that “the talk” is really more like a conversation that grows with time. Just like our children. On this episode, we are lucky to be joined by parenting expert, human sexuality educator and author Deborah Roffman. Deborah has been named one of Time Magazine's “Top Sixteen Parenting Experts for the 21st Century,” and her three previously published books for parents and teachers are considered classics in the field. She will be with us again on a webinar on January 19th, so this podcast is a bit of a teaser for that presentation. All are invited to join us virtually on the 19th. The event will not be recorded, so please register online here and plan to pull up a chair from 6-8pm mountain time.

December is a time of year when many of us are feeling more generous than usual - and with all the extra (and extra fun) activities at the end of the year, it can be challenging to make decisions on where to channel this motivation, how to give, and why. Have you found yourself wondering how you can impact the organizations you care about most? Or how you can benefit from a charitable gift? On this week's podcast episode, DWS Development Officer Hannah Ronan-Daniell shares a conversation with three members of our community to discuss how you can be an informed contributor to any nonprofit or charity (including The Denver Waldorf School). The conversation will cover several ways you can benefit from donating to the nonprofit of your choice before the end of the year, and beyond.

This is a time of year when, for many of us, the world feels like it's moving really fast. Whether we are trying to keep up with work, family, perhaps preparing to visit or be visited by extended family once the semester comes to a close. The pressure to keep up is palpable. So what is it that keeps us centered? Today, I'm sitting down with Education Director Vernon Dewey to discuss how schools also experience this pressure. Especially now. He'll cover what keeps the feet of a Waldorf school firmly on the ground, holding true to a curriculum that's more than a century old and the creativity and forward thinking it takes to truly educate today's students.

With Thanksgiving under our (maybe slightly tighter) belts, we turn our gaze toward winter festivities. But during this time, in the natural world, of increasing darkness and shorter days, it's also a time when we are called to take our gaze inward as we search for and stoke our individual, inner light to carry us through the season. This week marks the beginning of our school's Festival of Light Emerging, a universal take on the Festival of Advent, that runs four weeks as we journey into the darkest days of the calendar year. Today, to discuss this festival, we are joined by Waldorf educator and spatial dynamics expert Charlie Orphanides who will break down each of the four weeks which goes from the mineral realm in Week 1 (the week of the stones), to the plant realm, the animal realm, and finally the human realm in Week 4.

In 2019, Waldorf education marked its 100th anniversary. But you might be wondering for any teaching philosophy, not just Waldorf, that has deeper roots, how do we educate today's student? Well, much of what a Waldorf school teaches is how to learn. How to be in the world, even. How to “see” one another. This includes teaching students how to resolve conflict. In the classroom, Waldorf teachers are already teaching students how everything we do affects one another. We also have the luxury of pulling from more than 100 years worth of insights into child development in refining a conflict resolution system that continuously meets the students where they are. On this podcast episode, you will hear from our school counselor, Jenny Thompson, along with our Restorative Practices Committee to talk more on the model we use, which also has roots in ancient and indigenous restorative practices.

Daylight savings time ends this weekend. As we look forward to the extra hour of sleep we might get, we have an extra special treat this week on our podcast. This week, Dr. Adam Blanning joins us to talk about sleep - specifically, how we can build good sleep rhythms for ourselves and our families, as well as how to avoid confusing our nervous system when it's time to turn in for the night. Dr. Adam Blanning is a DWS parent as well as a DWS graduate. He practices integrative and anthroposophic family medicine, and lectures and teaches nationally and internationally on topics relating to holistic medicine and the dynamics of human development, with a special interest in supporting children.

How does a Waldorf school prepare today's students for college? Of course, 100% of Denver Waldorf students are accepted into college, the vast majority finishing in 4 years. And our graduating classes, although intentionally small, average more than $4 million in scholarships per year. The investment feels worth it. But what are the experiences of our recent alumni once they go beyond our doors? Today, we sit down with two recent graduates, Ellery Lewark and Vander Georgeff, and they candidly reflect and share about their experience.

On this episode, we sit down again with Education Director Vernon Dewey, this time to discuss our looping system. Here at The Denver Waldorf School, our students stay with the same main lesson teacher for multiple years through two loops- one teacher is with our students for main lesson from grades 1 through 4, and then the next loop follows from grades 5 through 8. Vernon shares the value of these deep, connected relationships with our teachers, and how they benefit our students in receiving a social education- an education where they learn not just content, but a way of being in the world.

A breath in, a breath out. Breathing in as the children sit in circle for story time, breathing out as they run and play freely in the outdoors. Rhythm is a fundamental part of how we go about our days in our early childhood classrooms. On this episode, Clair Boswell, who leads our "Sweet Peas" parent-tot program, will share the importance of rhythm in early childhood to create predictability, comfort, and security.

Here at The Denver Waldorf School, one of our hallmarks is our festival life. Throughout the year, we hold various festivals that speak to different themes we see arising in nature. These celebrations of seasonal festivals renew our connection to the natural world we share and to our community. Our first major festival of the school year is quickly approaching, historically known as Michaelmas. On this podcast episode, Education Director Vernon Dewey sheds light on how this year's celebration will look a bit different and how we it will be reimagined as "The Festival of Courage."

The halls of our school are quite full. Full of rich hues from the students' paintings and handwork, full in aroma when harvested wheat is baked into bread, full of singing, and most notably, full of warmth, something cultivated by design in Waldorf education. This week, we are taking a seat alongside our Director of Music, Sara Fierer. Sara plays a vital role in our school not only when it comes to making music, but also in our effort to educate the whole student in a time that so desperately calls for cultural and social renewal. She shares more about the experience of music in our school and the role it plays in the development of our children and community.

Long-time Waldorf educator Tom Clark, who today serves our school as a beloved high school physics and art teacher, shares the story of how the first Waldorf school emerged during the extreme chaos of wartime- a time, like today, that called deeply for social renewal. More than 100 years later, the role of Waldorf education is relevant as ever as we continue to foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity and inspire love for the world.

Every morning, before the school day begins, a bell rings throughout the grade school hallway inviting faculty and staff into one of the classrooms for a reading from The Calendar of the Soul. This book of verses was written by Waldorf education's founder, Rudolf Steiner, to mark the course of the year and the interplay between the outer world around us and the inner world of ourselves. As teachers, it is a reminder of the forces that are at work around us, out of our control, and the possible inner forces that we can awaken within us, that is what is within our control. We know that we cannot control another person, even a child, and nor should we. All we can control is ourselves. So when we prepare for the day, we are chiefly preparing ourselves. In this episode, Education Director Vernon Dewey shares how we as parents can also prepare ourselves to meet our burgeoning, changing children in much the same way as our teachers prepare for the classroom of students.

This week Education Director Vernon Dewey joins us as he paints a picture of the Rose Ceremony, a lovely tradition of Waldorf schools that book end the school year. It is an event that marks the transition from one stage of life to another. Foundational to Waldorf education is the understanding of human development and its phases. One principle of human development is the seven year phases of life: birth to 7, 7 to 14, 14, to 21. In the Rose Ceremony, we see each of these phases represented as the kindergartener enters 1st Grade, the 8th Grader enters high school, and the Senior enters adulthood. Three ideals live within each seven year period: goodness, beauty, and truth. He shares how Waldorf education cultivates in our students the ability to not only sense goodness, beauty, and truth, but also to be bearers of them out in the world.

The performing arts has long been a powerful medium for getting us into our bodies, whether it's through dancing, plays, or musical concerts. It is the physical embodiment of story that literally and figuratively moves us as human beings. We sat down with theater director Leo Bond and rising fourth grade teacher Jennifer Grahnquist to discuss the experience of theater in our school and the role it plays in the development of our children.

First grade is a child's introduction to the collective being of a class. We nurture a deep reverence for the earth, compassion for classmates, and a healthy respect for every living thing. From knitting to numbers, fairy tales to falling leaves, we help first graders discover the wonders of our world and understand the rhythm of life. This year is the beginning of a multi-year relationship with their teacher. Led by faculty members Nancy Blanning and Jessie Cartwright, this discussion gives prospective families a feel for what lies at the heart of Waldorf education.

Wondering why movement is paramount in the Waldorf curriculum? Waldorf educator Charlie Orphanides takes us on a brief journey through the field of movement, where we will move a bit ourselves and discuss the increasing relevance and indeed necessity of movement in our schools and in the lives of children in general.

Join us for a conversation with TC Tolbert, Theo Isoz, and Dylan Wilder Quinn as they share their experience and insights of their personal transgender journey. Moderated by DWS School Counselor Jenny Thompson.

Presented by the DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, this webinar features a panel of DWS community members in a discussion on racial dynamics and creating a community of inclusion.

Step Inside The Denver Waldorf High School Wondering if The Denver Waldorf School is the right choice for high school? Join us for a virtual open house with some of our faculty to discuss how the curriculum integrates academics, arts, and athletics in educating the whole student. Led by DWS High School Director Brie Kaiser, you'll hear from faculty on our approach to humanities, life sciences, art, theater, music, athletics, and more.

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Denver Waldorf School Podcast. Our first episode features the April 27th town hall with school director, Kelly Church.