Athletics

The SWS Athletics program fosters a healthy, supportive environment for student athletes to compete passionately while deepening relationships with peers and learning valuable lessons about commitment, effort, time management, and fair play.

Our athletes take pride in representing the Waves on the court, field, and track. Supporters root on our teams while making connections with friends and family, and witness the transformation taking place in our young people as they strive to achieve. High School and Middle School students have a wide variety of opportunities to participate on our competitive sports teams.

The Sacramento Waldorf School maintains a "no cut" policy, meaning students in good academic standing with a positive attitude and consistent attendance have the opportunity to participate in any sport. 

Read about our Athletic Director, Dean Stark, a Sacramento Waldorf School legend featured in The Sacramento Bee most recently in February 2023, when he achieved the Sac-Joaquin Section record for coaching victories, with 660 wins. Coach Stark is also profiled in Down By the River, a documentary by two SWS alum that features Stark’s history with the school beginning in the mid-1980s, as told by former players and colleagues. The documentary captures what playing basketball for Coach Stark meant to former students and the impact the experience had on their lives after basketball. The story is close to the filmmakers’ hearts as both played sports for Coach Stark during their High School years. A preview of the documentary is available here.

With Coach Stark’s guidance, we have been able to cultivate a strong culture of coaching that nurtures and supports our students’ love of sport and healthy competition. Kelsey Hull (Girls Varsity Volleyball) had previously coached at the collegiate level. She has been inspiring our team since 2021, leading them most recently into the second round of playoffs. “I love the girls, they are super passionate about everything they do, and it has been fun to watch them be so driven in all areas of their lives, to see how far they’ve come, to be a role model for them, and to help them achieve their goals,” she says.

High School Physics Teacher Nina Vice also coaches the Boys and the Girls Soccer teams and brings a unique appreciation for mentoring student athletes. Melissa Rainsford—SWS alum, long-time parent, and Volunteer and Facilities Coordinator, is our Girls Varsity Basketball coach and recently led the team into playoffs. Michael Levangie (Cross Country), SWS alumnus Cameron Duncan (Boys Junior Varsity Basketball), Matthew Lawson (Boys Baseball), Cody Price (Mountain Biking), and Annie Klee (Track and Field) round out our High School coaching staff.

Middle School coaching staff includes Annie Klee (Cross Country), Cody Price (Mountain Biking, Girls Basketball), Melissa Rainsford (Girls Basketball), Mariah Levangie (Girls Basketball), Mike Malena (Boys Basketball), Elijah Neuhaus (Boys Basketball), Rocco Hanson (Boys Basketball), Joel Burgess (Coed Soccer), and Rich Shaw (Coed Soccer).

Providing invaluable support for school sports is the dynamic Booster Club, a parent-led group which supports SWS athletes and the Athletic program through logistics and fundraising. Go Waves!