Introduction

Founded in 1973, Hawthorne Valley School is one of more than 700 schools throughout the world comprising the Waldorf, or Rudolf Steiner, school movement. The movement began in Europe in 1919, and there are now approximately 150 Waldorf schools and developing initiatives in North America. Hawthorne Valley School is a full member of the Association of Waldorf Schools in North America and is an accredited member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools. It is chartered by and registered with the New York State Board of Regents, under whose jurisdiction it awards diplomas.

The Hawthorne Valley School is one branch of the Hawthorne Valley Association, a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization that was chartered and incorporated under the laws of New York State in 1971. The Association also includes the Hawthorne Valley Farm, a 400-acre, diversified, biodynamic farm known for its cheese, yogurt, and other milk products, as well as bakery goods, and biodynamic produce. The Hawthorne Valley Visiting Students Program is an environmental education center for visiting school groups. The Hawthorne Valley Artists and Artisans is an informal group serving the artistic and cultural goals of Hawthorne Valley. They encourage and help organize events such as exhibitions, workshops, and lectures.

History

As the assembled students and faculty sang "As the highest stars all circle, full of eternal harmony," wide-eyed first graders, arrayed in their back-to-school finery, took their first steps into the big school. Seniors greeted them one by one with a sun-bright flower and guided the expectant children to their class teacher at the front of the hall.

The circle is unbroken. New children, eager with anticipation or shy with wonder, follow in the steps of the worldly-wise seniors who nobly bear the ideals and promise of youth. The door of a new beginning for the youngest, marks the fruitful year of completion for the seniors, who see their own golden childhood in the young ones as they prepare to embark on their journey into the wide world's school of life.

So begins the 30th year of Waldorf education at Hawthorne Valley School in Columbia County. Who could have imagined the vibrant school of today grown from the humble seed of 30 years ago? What began then with a handful of teachers working for room, board, and pocket money with 25 students in a white-frame pastor's house has become a widely respected and established educational community. Rip van Winkle would rub his eyes, discovering now that 26 students are enrolled in the third grade alone! The faculty and staff number more than30, serving 300 students from 200 families, many of whom have built or purchased homes in Columbia County specifically to be part of Hawthorne Valley.

Hawthorne Valley School is extraordinarily blessed to be surrounded by the cultivated fields, gardens, and forests of an active biodynamic farm. The beauty of tended nature and the seasons of farm life are priceless educational resources built into the founding ideals of Hawthorne Valley. Real, not contrived, hands-on learning experiences enhance the already rich Waldorf curriculum with practical lessons drawn directly from life. Education of the will, integrated with artistic creativity, daily draws on the natural resources of our unique learning environment. Educational research continues at Hawthorne Valley to cultivate in our students, a reverence for life, a respect for the earth, practical skills, and power of initiative through firsthand scientific, artistic, and work experiences. All of this is enhanced through an intimate connection with the life of the valley.

Our school was built from scratch through the commitment of its founders, parents, teachers, and students. Over the years, we became experts at doing a lot with a little in a true spirit of self-reliance. The school fire taught us what we were capable of doing as a community. In May of 1988 children arriving at school found the blackened, smoldering ruins of their classrooms. In the three days that followed the fire, 150 people dedicated 1000 volunteer hours so that Hawthorne Valley School could reopen that following Monday in the wood shop, the dining hall basement, and a neighbor's garage. The high school musical drama, "The Human Comedy," was produced and graduation went on as scheduled-in the barn!

That was only the beginning of a marathon, summer-long, emergency building program. Working with skilled craftspeople, many of our students labored along with teachers and parent volunteers through the long hot summer to set in place every block and beam of the beautiful building we have today. The fire woke in us the courageous spirit of the educational community that has arisen around Hawthorne Valley as a whole: the Farm, the Environmental Education Program, and the School.