Waldorf School Celebrates 40th Anniversary

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, beginning with a fall festival in October. 

As you venture down Broadway in Saratoga Springs this week, you might notice the flags popping up to announce the celebration of the Waldorf School’s 40th anniversary. They will kick off their year-long celebration by partnering with Pitney Meadows to put on a fall festival open to the public. The Waldorf School is an alternative to conventional public school, where you will find students not only learning their multiplication tables and reading the classics, but also knitting, gardening, moving, playing instruments, and more.

Save the date! Saturday, October 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the first celebratory event – Jump Into Fall: Fall Festival with Pitney Meadows and The Waldorf School of Saratoga. Join the Waldorf School for their anniversary as Pitney Meadows Community Farm also celebrates their 5th anniversary. The festival, held at Pitney Meadows Community Farm (223 West Ave, Saratoga Springs) will be reflective of the fall season with interactive activities such as sheep shearing, basket weaving, a hay jump, and more. Admission is free, just pay-to-park; $12 pre-pay or $15 the day of the event. To learn more about the festival, pre-pay for parking, or sponsor the event visit: jumpintofallsaratoga.com.

 Established in 1981, with its first graduating senior class in 2001, the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs began teaching pre-school and then primary students. They purchased the old public high school on York Avenue in 1987. They now have three campuses across the city with the High School on Regent Street (an old Skidmore College building), the Lower School at the York Avenue location, and Forest Kindergarten on Spa State Park land near Kaydeross Creek. Class sizes range from 8 to 15 students who learn in blocks, focusing on one subject during 3 to 4 week periods. 

Here are some things you will find Waldorf School students learning about: 

At the Forest Kindergarten, youngsters learn how to garden, cook, and more in a playful setting focused around the seasons, helping them to develop their motor skills. 

In the Lower School, field trips are introduced. The students are taught the French language and get to take a hallmark trip to Quebec to practice it in real-life scenarios in the French culture. Although with COVID, they creatively improvised to set up a French village of their own with French speakers who graciously traveled to the area to participate. 

At the high school, there is continued focus on academics, but also community service. The Waldorf School has a unique  Junior Internship Program, where high schoolers spend a week working with a community member. Students have shadowed police officers, filmmakers, attorneys, contractors, financial advisors, and many other professions. In their senior year, students delve into a chosen passion and show how they have grown into young adults throughout their time at the school in a year-long individual project. 

“We are proud of our graduates. They learn many diverse skills at our school and become creative thinkers and excellent problem solvers. They do remarkable things with their lives,” said Abigail Reid, Administrator of the Waldorf School. 

Through all grade levels there is a progression in academic and practical skills, a hands-on education, and connection to the arts. 

“There is beauty and truth in education. You can see that idea everywhere you look in the school,” said Evelyn Barber, retired Waldorf School teacher and 40th anniversary committee member. 

“Our school has grown incredibly during these 40 years. This school originally was supported by the parents who wanted this education for their children. And to this day we are here for the same reason. Now we are even stronger,” added Reid. “We love our school, and we are looking forward to celebrating these 40 years with the greater Saratoga community.” 

For more information on the Waldorf School visit their website at www.waldorfsaratoga.org. For additional information regarding tuition, contact Elisabeth Garofalo, Admissions Coordinator, at 518-587-2224 or admissions@waldorfsaratoga.org. For additional information on how you can support the Waldorf School, contact Carla Metz, Development Director, at 518-581-1466 or highschool@waldorfsaratoga.org.