Our lineup of online events are open to all, as we aim to highlight the benefits of Waldorf education. For more on all happenings at The Denver Waldorf School, please refer to our school calendar.

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College Nights: Paying for College

February 3, 2022 @ 6:30 pm - 7:45 pm

Paying for College

Parents and students are invited to attend the fourth evening of our 6-part College Nights series with DWS College and Post-Secondary Guidance Counselor Laura Shope.

Topic: Paying for College — Ideal for Grades 10, 11, and 12

Date: February 3, 2022

Time: 6:30pm MT

Location: In person at DWS and online via Zoom

Please register once to reserve a seat for all remaining dates.

What You’ll Learn

In this informational session, we will cover the key concepts you need to understand regarding the financial side of paying for college. We will discuss what all the terms mean, how to estimate what the true cost of a particular college or program will be, the timing of the various steps, and what you can do now to prepare. We will also touch on scholarships and alternative pathways to making it all work!

Key takeaways include:

  • Understand the terms you will encounter: cost of attendance, estimated family contribution, FAFSA, etc.
  • Know how you can estimate what the colleges will expect you can pay
  • Identify next steps for your family to prepare

About College Nights

Our monthly College Nights series focuses on different aspects of the college and post-secondary application process. Laura Shope designed each evening to answer questions and support parents and students in the college application process.  These meetings are open to all, although probably most useful to the grade listed with each topic.

  • October 7thApplication Process 101 (Grades 10 and 11)
  • November 4—SAT and ACT (Grades 10 and 11)
  • December—No meeting
  • January 6—Supporting Your Student through the Process (Grades 10 and 11)
  • February 3—Paying for College (Grades 10 , 11, and 12)
  • March 3—Making Choices (Grades 10 and 11)
  • April 21—College Engagement and Success (Grade 12)
  • May 4—Preparing to Apply & Making the Most of Summer (Grade 11)

About Laura Shope

Laura Shope came to DWS in 2021 via the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, where she served as the High School Student Support Coordinator and High School Administrator for the past three years, and a parent in the Waldorf community for more than 17 years. She has extensive training in career development and personal coaching, along with having recently completed her Waldorf High School Teacher Training through the Center for Anthroposophy. Her plans for working with our students and faculty include creating a rich program of self-reflection, support, and clarity around the decisions the students make for their plans after high school.

Laura is a passionate artist and works with stone, clay, wood, weaving, and plaster to create abstract forms. She and her husband, Dale Jensen, are outdoor enthusiasts and look forward to exploring all that Colorado has to offer. They have two sons, Wilder and Corbin, who attended Waldorf schools from preschool through grade 12 (Corbin will graduate from RSSAA in 2022).

About The Denver Waldorf High School

The Denver Waldorf High School offers a liberal arts education, consciously aimed to nurture and encourage adolescent ideals. The high school experience aims to balance the students’ academic needs with their longing to find meaning in the world. Scroll down to hear from a few of our faculty members.

Engaging Body, Intellect, and Emotion

At the start of each day, movement helps spark students’ circulation and bring them together. They then engage in a long, uninterrupted seminar (referred to as main lesson in elementary and middle school) to activate their minds, followed by music and elective classes to spark emotional expression. Music classes and elective courses promote the development of healthy emotional expression through creation.

High School Music

Regarding music, all high school students participate in chorus, with the option to participate in either music ensemble or orchestra until their senior year. Students new to DWS and who have not played their instrument before are strongly encouraged to take private lessons.

Hands-On Learning of Real-World Skills

Students apply what they’ve learned theoretically to scenarios in the real world. For example, a study of soil composition could be applied to a chemistry lesson on acids and bases, as well as a close reading of The Grapes of Wrath, and a course in black-and-white photography in which they learn to develop their own film.

Rhythm of Thinking, Feeling, and Willing

Our goal is to expose our high school students to academic wealth, and demonstrate to them that all knowledge is valuable to encourage their pursuit of wisdom throughout life.

The high school curriculum revisits themes and subjects periodically to strengthen functional knowledge. Students cultivate their ability to think critically, organize ideas and information, and clearly present thoughts through an academically challenging mix of math, English, humanities, physics, life sciences, chemistry, world language, practical, industrial and fine arts, chorus, orchestra, drama, and physical education.

About The Denver Waldorf School

The Denver Waldorf School is an urban pre-K through 12 independent school in Colorado. Founded in 1974 on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, DWS believes education should foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire a love for the world. We are currently enrolling for in-person learning:

Want to learn more about us? Schedule an in-person tour of our Denver campus or join us online during our virtual events.

Details

  • Date: February 3, 2022
  • Time:
    6:30 pm - 7:45 pm
  • Event Category:
Every day, our first graders would arrive to discover a small change in Ms. Nelly’s chalk drawing that welcomes them into the classroom. A tiny detail. A moment of wonder. A symbol of growth. A cherishment of the season. An awakening before a morning of imagination, stories, and connection. 

And on the last day of school, just as they had on so many school days before, they enthusiastically pointed out the new detail. May we carry forward their delight to take notice of beauty, be curious, and find joy in all the little things. 

Watch until the end to see how the tree evolved over our school year. What a gift! ❤️
As we celebrated three distinct ceremonies to close out our school year - our golden knights (kindergarten) graduation, 8th grade continuation, and 12th grade graduation - it is always a beautiful reminder of the interconnectedness of our education. A holistic journey to becoming through goodness, beauty, and truth. 

Our Rose Ceremony brings all three milestones together, with reflection for our students on where they have come from and where they are going. It is a celebration of growth, connection, and community - one we do not take for granted as a K-12 school! 

Though each chapter of the journey is unique, they are all woven together in this path of becoming - to foster what it is to be human, cultivate lifelong curiosity, and inspire love for the world. 
Not a farewell, but a “see you later” to our school founder, Ina Jaehnig. As we closed the year with our Rose Ceremony, it was only fitting to present one last rose to Ina to mark this new stage in her journey as she retires from DWS.

Ina opened the doors of The Denver Waldorf School on Michaelmas in 1974. For over 50 years, she has exemplified what our Waldorf education is all about with her steady presence, love for children, and unwavering care for our community. She has guided our vision, inspired countless students, and gifted us with her humour and wisdom. 

While we will miss seeing her regularly in our halls and classrooms, her guiding light lives on in the heart of our school and in the generations of students, families, and teachers whose lives she has touched. With deep gratitude for all she has given, we send Ina into this next chapter with all the love of our DWS community!
With a passing of a rose from our first graders to both their 8th grade buddies and our graduating seniors, we closed out our 2025-26 school year with the Rose Ceremony. The Rose Ceremony is always how we begin and end our years - it is an event that marks the transition from one stage of life to another. With much celebration especially for our 1st, 8th, and 12th graders, we come full circle at the end of the year with connection, reflection, and a marking of this passage of time and growth within each student. We are filled with gratitude as we celebrate these significant moments as a community and cherish the closing of another school year together! 💫🌹
This weekend, we celebrated these 18 incredible and unique students. As a class, they are artists, scientists, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, historians, athletes, coders, designers, musicians, writers, and thinkers. They are each full of curiosity, and have a remarkable capacity to recognize the humanity in one another - and to always come from love. 

As we listened to our teachers share about who each of them has become, our gratitude for the privilege of sharing this journey with these wonderful students sat deeply within us. Their indelible presence within our community will be deeply missed. 

DWS Class of 2026 - you are ready for the world beyond, and how lucky that world is to receive your contributions! Congratulations 🎓🌹🌟!!
“May the long time sun shine upon you
All love surround you
And the pure light within you
Guide your way on.” 

We know that our brave golden knights (the oldest children in our kindergarten, now rising first graders!) are ready to do what is good and right! We celebrated this morning with a cherished ceremony to honor their wonderful growth and our shared journey together. With song, story, reflection, and many watering eyes, we savored these moments with full hearts as they crossed the bridge to the world beyond our early childhood classrooms! Golden knights, we’re ready for you to lead the way with your light 🌟
Before we break for summer, our rising 3rd graders worked their hands and hearts to bring our school garden to life! They planted tomatoes, onions, corn, beans, squash, and more. Over the summer, along with their families and the help of our community, they will lovingly tend and water the garden. When we return in the fall, the students will continue this work as part of their farming block - and get to experience the joy of the harvest season and the fruits of their labor! 
 
Connecting to the natural world around us is an integral part of our curriculum and culture. We celebrate the seasons. We foster a sense of wonder and reverence for the earth and its many gifts. We stay curious and cultivate care. We believe that our work and commitment together can make a difference! 🌿
This morning our graduating seniors took their “Walk Through the Grades” - a tradition that carries them back through the full arc of their Waldorf journey. The seniors visited each grades classroom and were presented with a small remembrance from their younger days in our community - whether it be a song, morning verse, recorder melody, poem, or nostalgic pillar of our curriculum. 

Through the watering eyes, warm embraces, and laughter shared- the morning was a reflection of how deeply this journey lives within each of our students. We are holding onto their presence as we near their graduation at the end of this week! 

May our graduating Class of 2026 cherish the many lessons through their days at DWS as they embark on their journey into the world that awaits 🌟.
The DWS Class of 2026 continues to impress us as they commit to colleges and prepare for the next chapter of their journeys. Together, these 18 students have earned an incredible $7,769,240 in merit scholarships for college- an average of about $430,000 per student- a remarkable reflection of years of dedication, creativity, and hard work.

The Denver Waldorf School has proudly maintained a 100% college acceptance rate, and year after year admissions offices share how excited they are to see a Waldorf application come across their desk. Our students stand out as thoughtful contributors, collaborative classmates, courageous learners, and creative problem solvers- prepared not only for college, but for meaningful and purposeful lives beyond it. We are deeply proud of the Class of 2026 and grateful to celebrate both their individual achievements and the community that helped nurture them along the way. Congratulations, seniors- you inspire all of us. We can’t wait to soak in these last few days with you back on campus this week!

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The Denver Waldorf School

2100 S. Pennsylvania St.
Denver, CO 80210
p) 303-777-0531
f) 303-744-1216
[email protected]

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