Happy (belated) 2024!

There has been a lot of activity at our school, as always at this time of year.

In this issue of our Quarterly Newsletter:

• WWS Sports updates
• Wish you had a WWS t-shirt, sweatshirt or hat? You can order one!
• Grade 6 Circus
• Eurythmy Spring Valley
• April 20 "Light the Way" Gala
• June 1 Alum Reunion
• Nominate WWS for Washingtonian Magazine's "Best for Families"
• AWSNA Alum Event and Connection Opportunities
• Upcoming Events Calendar
• Alum Updates (submit by May 1, 2024 for the next newsletter)

Please stay in touch. We'd love to know what you are up to!

Stephanie Hanson

Director of Development and Alum Relations

shanson@washingtonwaldorf.org

Thanks to all from our community who gathered at our recent Senior Nights to celebrate our senior basketball players, their talent, and the dedication of their families in supporting our teams. Congratulations Class of 2024 athletes!

Additionally, WWS Basketball teams participated in the Green Meadow (Middle School) and Kimberton (High School) tournaments, and the High School Boys came away with the Kimberton Championship!

Green Meadow Tournament

January 26 - 28

Kimberton Tournament

February 9 - 11

Washington Waldorf School Gear

SquadLocker Online Stores

• Visit our online school store to purchase gifts and essential spirit wear.
• Visit our Red-Tailed Hawks mascot gear store for team spirit items. Go Hawks!

When you purchase items through SquadLocker, your order will be shipped directly to your delivery address of choice.

Is there a particular type of item you are looking for that isn't available in our stores? Let us know and we'll see what we can do!

Grade 6 Circus

The 6th Grade class recently performed its annual Circus, and the whole school was able to see the acrobatics. After the performance, the Children's Garden could be seen putting on their own "circus" in the outdoor play yard.

Eurythmy Spring Valley

Washington Waldorf School was honored to provide space for Eurythmy Spring Valley performances last week. These performances, hosted by the Greater Washington Anthroposophical Society, delighted children from Children's Garden through Grade 12 with three performances tailored to each age group, plus a public performance for the community on Tuesday, February 26.

April 20 Light the Way Gala

You are cordially invited to join us for the WWS 2024 Spring Gala: Light the Way. On Saturday, April 20th, we are hosting the event in our very own John and Mary Brauer Gym!

Tickets and Sponsorships are on sale through Friday, March 29th.

We hope to see you there!

June 1 Alum Reunion

We are still moving forward on planning for the first Alum Reunion on the evening of Saturday, June 1!

The event will include an activity, reception, opportunities to gather with your class, hear updates from the school, and connect with current and former faculty.

To ensure you receive the registration link when it goes live, please make sure your contact information is up to date with the school. More will be shared soon!

Washington Waldorf School Alums at the 2023 Fall Bazaar!

Best for Families Nominations

Washington FAMILY "Best for Families" Nominations Are Open

Please take a few minutes and nominate WWS for Washington FAMILY magazine's "Best for Families" awards. This is a simple way to help us spread the word about WWS. Nominations close March 11.

Nominate WWS today!

Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

Events and Resources for Alums

LinkedIn, Instagram, and Waldorf Alum Connect

Connect with Waldorf Alums around the world with Waldorf Alum Connect

March

1/ Friday

• First 24-25 Admissions Notifications Sent

6/ Wednesday

• Day of the Languages (G7-12), 1pm

19/ Tuesday

• Trustees Council Meeting, 7pm

25-29/ Monday - Friday

• Spring Break

April

13/ Saturday

• Children's Garden Open House

20/ Saturday

• Light the Way Gala

Ongoing

• AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) hosts events for Waldorf alums from schools nationwide and provides a networking platform. Learn more.



Have an update to share or new contact information? We'd love to hear from you. Please send us your news of awards or honors, new family members, scholarships, travels and adventures, jobs or milestones. In order to be included in the next Quarterly Newsletter, you may submit your update by May 1, 2024.

Join the conversation with our Alum Relations account on LinkedIn to see more updates from your classmates and share your own. Use #waldorfalum to tag your posts.

An update from Jason Taliaferro ('08): After graduating Washington Waldorf School's High School, I moved to Wyoming for college. Following college, I got married and started work as a welder in the Boilermakers Union, traveling and working in coal power plants, oil refineries and gas plants in Wyoming and Colorado. My wife, Jessica and I had our first child, Justin, in 2013 and our daughter, Jemma, was born in 2017. That was a busy year as we bought a small ranch just two months before she was born. We raise a variety of farm animals for multiple purposes but our focus is on beef cattle. We take pride in serving some meals that we can say 100% was raised and processed on our place from meat and produce to dairy products.

For the past 13 years I have been a volunteer firefighter and served as Fire Chief for the past 8 years and continue to do so. In 2021 I was appointed Assistant Business Manager of the Boilermakers Union in Denver Colorado, where I dispatched jobs, worked on recruiting efforts and trained apprentices in welding. Now after 11 years in the construction trade I have moved on to take a welder job at a coal power plant near home. This move has truly been a blessing as I am now able to spend more time with my family, put more focus into growing our cattle ranch, and raising our children.

Alum Nick Kendall ('97) and his Grammy award winning trio Time for Three recently performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and the Music Center at Strathmore in February. Current and alum students and faculty, and friends came out to see the concerts!

They have performances coming up throughout the country this spring. Check them out if they are planning to come to your city!

Elena Day ('88) recently lead the cast of Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn to Life through play workshops and private coaching sessions. Elena also observed the show 5x in three days and gave feedback to the artists. She described the experience as "magic." Elena works as the ProTrack Director and Head of Physical Theater at The New England Center for Circus Arts.  

One artist later said to Elena, “I don’t know how to say in English…workshop made my Soul feel comfortable.”