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Race and the Developing Child

March 15, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Watch the Recorded Webinar: Race and the Developing Child

The 5 Stages of Development

Presented by the DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, this webinar features a panel of DWS community members in a discussion on racial dynamics, creating a community of inclusion, and the 5 stages of development: conformity, dissonance, resistance & immersion, introspection, and synergetic articulation & awareness.

Date: March 15, 2021

Time: 6pm MST

Location: Online via Zoom

We will follow the presentation with a live Q&A. Please register to reserve a seat.

What You’ll Learn

In addition to providing tips and tools—from at-home resources to supportive storytelling and imagery, the panel will discuss commonly asked questions such as:

  • What is your experience and that of your children with around cultural identity?
  • What is “otherness” and code switching?
  • Where do we see DWS striving?
  • What are ways to create a community of inclusion?

About the Panelists

Waldorf Educator Magally Luna

Magally began as a Spanish teacher school-wide at The Denver Waldorf School and worked in that position for 18 years and now is focusing her energies on the current 4th grade.  She is bringing a diverse curriculum to her class of cuties.  She has been on the Diversity committee since it’s beginning, starting with conversations with Laurie Clark in the Morning Glory classroom.  She is the founder and co-chair of AWSNA’S BIPOC affinity group supporting Waldorf teachers of color throughout the nation. She has taught BIPOC stories, songs and movement from the Americas at several National conferences. 

DWS Board Member Steven Hill

Steven Hill is a parent to a biracial 8th grader at the Denver School of Arts. He currently serves on the Denver Waldorf School Board of Trustees and is a member of the school’s Diversity & Inclusivity Committee. Mr. Hill is a past member of the Denver Waldorf School Development Committee. He earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Colorado School of Law Boulder, CO. He served serves on the Board of Directors, Families Forward Resource Center Denver, CO an organization that deals with social, economical, and racial disparities for families in Colorado. He has served as a Trainer for licensed Foster Care Parents and Kinship Parents in the state of Colorado teaching the topics of diversity and inclusivity, culture, discipline, child abuse, and child placement.

Linda Hsieh, LPC, ACS

Linda is a therapist and coach dedicated to the healing and thriving of QTBIPoC in Colorado and abroad. She is the daughter of immigrant parents from Taiwan, born and raised in the Denver Metro area. She’s mother to Kai (3rd grade) and Meilin (1st grade), and partner to Vernon Dewey (8th grade teacher).

D&I Committee Member Mahdyeh Nowkhandan

Mahdyeh is a new DWS parent, and has recently become one of the leads on the new Denver Waldorf Racial Justice Parent Group. She has a background in advocacy work and racial justice, as well as elementary education — including social-emotional and special education. She is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award, and still she views herself as a life-long learner, non-expert, and an always growing member of the BIPOC community.

D&I Committee Member JP Box

JP is a parent to biracial DWS second grade twins. He graduated from Bowdoin College with a double-major in Spanish and Sociology, culminating in a senior-year independent study on the intersection of basketball and race. While in law school, JP helped lead an effort to revise The Georgetown Law Journal’s selection criteria to ensure a diverse and inclusive publication. Together with his partner, Sarah, he is the co-founder of Chasing Windmills, a merino wool children’s apparel company.

About The DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee

Waldorf Education is founded in a worldview that acknowledges the spiritual nature of all beings. Waldorf education fundamentally recognizes and values the many people and perspectives of the world.  It honors the freedom, equality, individuality, and unique capacities of each child and is dedicated to creating an inclusive community that respects and affirms each of its members.

The Diversity and Inclusivity Committee believes that diversity and inclusiveness strengthens education and fosters the essential element of respect that prepares students to live and work in a global environment.

Purpose

The Diversity and Inclusivity Committee endeavors to create an inclusive community of faculty, staff, parents and students by working to address and dismantle oppression within our DWS community. Committee meetings provide a forum for discussion, education, and exploration of issues of age, ancestry, color, creed, disability, family composition, gender, gender-identification, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.

The committee is charged with helping to shape The Denver Waldorf School as a place where families, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds feel welcomed and valued.

The committee provides communication to the Board of Trustees and to the College Leadership Council with regard to the diversity scholarship, issues that are facing the student body, parent body, and community.  Committee members act in accordance with the Mission, Vision, and Core Values of The Denver Waldorf School.

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.

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.

We are currently enrolling for in-person learning. Learn more about our onsite tours and in-person shadowing for:

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

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Details

  • Date: March 15, 2021
  • Time:
    6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Exploring, playing, gardening, climbing, making up games, drawing, reading, journaling, helping around the home, hiking, swimming, camping, and enjoying the beauty of the natural world- just a few of our suggestions for summer homework for our young students 😊! Soaking in these days of childhood are what build a strong foundation for all the years ahead.
Our Class of 2026 spent their last full week of high school exploring the world beyond, making their final days with DWS an adventure that is not too soon forgotten! After many explorations over the years around our beautiful state of Colorado, their senior trip took them to a landscape far from the mountains - the Florida Keys 🌴!

From snorkeling in North America’s sole living coral reef system to kayaking through mangroves, volunteering with wildlife, and exploring the Everglades, our seniors spent their last days together immersed in the wonder of the natural world.

In Waldorf education, class trips are an integral part of our curriculum. By exploring outside of our classroom walls, students cultivate curiosity, community, and a lifelong connection to the world around them. This journey deepened students’ understanding of marine biology, ecology, and stewardship - all the while creating lasting memories to carry forward into their next chapter!

Class of 2026 - we’re so grateful to have shared the many adventures with you.
This is a peek into 6th grade medieval history, where as part of their studies of monastic life, they each patiently created their own illuminated manuscripts. This coincided with their work that also encompassed learning about the Islamic Golden Age, and practicing Arabic calligraphy as well. 

Art finds its way into all that we do - it is not an extra. Through the arts, subject matter comes to life through experience, creativity, and meaningful connection. As they study history, for example, students are invited not only to study facts about a period in time, but to enter into it through their own hands and imagination.

Moreover, each project supports our curriculum in meeting our students where they are developmentally. In 6th grade, at a time when their developmental stage seeks structure and clarity, this work in calligraphy requires patience, deep focus, and adherence to form. While the completed piece of art is always wonderful to marvel at, moreover, it is about the journey along the way as we nurture our capacities as whole human beings. 
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! 🌿

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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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