Finding a Home at Sacramento Waldorf High School
Anastasia Pagan is currently a Senior at Sacramento Waldorf High School. As she moves into her final year at SWHS, she offers these reflections on her experience as a new student, on building relationships that support learning, and on realizing where she belongs.
The thing about Sacramento Waldorf High School is that it's not just one thing. There is no one thought that can wholly define the SWHS experience. A true Waldorf experience is made up of so many little moments that come together to form what I believe is the greatest education a young mind can know. A Waldorf education does not just nurture the mind or the body—it nurtures the soul. And this is especially important and true in the High School.
Anastasia preps ingredients with other culinary artists during the Vegan Cooking elective with Dr. Gruhn.
I came from a public Waldorf elementary and middle school where I learned to love how learning works. I knew that I wanted to continue with a Waldorf education for high school. I knew that the teaching and learning style worked for me, but I also have classmates who’ve come from different kinds of schools and had the same great experiences I have had at SWS. There definitely was a difference between public and private school, and I was wondering a lot about that before high school began. But the only difference I experienced was the benefit of having more put towards my experience. In English classes, for example, each student is given their own copy to keep of the books we read in classes so we can annotate and add notes to what we read in the books themselves, helping to go deeper with reading comprehension and analysis. There are labs filled with the necessary equipment for all our Science classes where we conduct daily experiments and explore the phenomenon of the natural world; there is a gym, a library, and a kitchen where elective classes happen each day, and teachers are more than willing to help you explore all your interests during and after school.
“If I could only take one thing with me when I graduate, it would be the relationships I have cultivated and the support that I will continue to receive from the teachers and staff at Sacramento Waldorf High School.”
Sacramento Waldorf students take Art classes in between the core academic classes. Fine and Practical such as drawing, painting, woodworking, basketry, weaving, bookbinding, leatherwork, and blacksmithing and Performing Arts like choir, orchestra, jazz band, percussion, ukulele, and drama are key parts of the High School experience. There’s also Gardening class on the Farm for Ninth and Tenth grade where we learn about and help manage our working farm so the younger students can easily get to work when they come to the farm. We also have a celebrated Athletics program that is open to anyone who wishes to take part in a sport. We have sports throughout the year and boast “the Sacramento region’s winningest basketball coach,” Dean Stark.
The teachers at Sacramento Waldorf School are experts in their subjects who encourage us to think for ourselves and provide us with the space to identify and solve problems on our own or in groups. Being a High School student means you are never alone in your learning and that the whole of you is welcomed. Especially during events like Harvest Fair and class plays, SWHS welcomes each student's entire family and gives them many opportunities to get involved and interact with other families, too.
Since I joined in Ninth Grade, I’ve had access to a developmentally-appropriate curriculum that pushes me to challenge myself and my mind while also giving me enough space and time to not feel burnt-out. I have always felt so welcomed at SWHS, so seen. The teachers take time out of their schedules to be there for you, and they always find a way to make themselves available when you need to talk. If I could only take one thing with me when I graduate, it would be the relationships I have cultivated and the support that I will continue to receive from the teachers and staff at Sacramento Waldorf High School.
I have found that community and belonging is one of the biggest pieces of a Waldorf education. At SWS, I have cultivated a community of friends, peers, teachers, and staff, that I know I can continue to rely on even after I graduate. All students at SWS stand up for each other and push each other to be better, which helps to provide a meaningful and empowering experience to every student. Every student is provided with the opportunity to be seen and heard. Because of this created community, students at Sacramento Waldorf High School carry with them the love and respect of their peers and their teachers. This allows us to believe in ourselves and to grow into stronger, better versions of ourselves.
Sacramento Waldorf students truly care about the world we live in and are constantly working together to try and improve the world around us. We are taught how to co-exist in our world and respect our community of people with different ideas and beliefs. We learn how to support one another instead of competing against each other, which creates a friendly environment where every person feels respectfully seen and heard by both their peers and their teachers.
“Every student is provided with the opportunity to be seen and heard. [Students] carry with them the love and respect of their peers and their teachers. This allows us to believe in ourselves and to grow into stronger, better versions of ourselves.”
I suppose if I had to choose a single word that could begin to encompass all that Sacramento Waldorf School is, that word would be community. As students prepare to graduate and jump into the next chapter of their lives, we are provided with the support and love of an entire community that we know will push us to be our best and help us in any way they can to grow and thrive. Community is the basis of everything in our Waldorf high school because we lean on each other to learn and grow.
