Senior Projects
A highlight of the senior year at a Waldorf School, the Senior Project culminates in an oral presentation before classmates, faculty, friends and family. This year, we are live streaming the presentation over two evenings.
Date: April 7th and April 8th
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Online via Facebook Live
Wednesday, April 7th
Margaret Hecox—Custom by MH
Kobi McMillen—To Read Music: Piano & Guitar
Morgan Young—Aeronautics on the Small Scale
Alexie Pearson—Art, Community, Crafts
Carter Inmann—So I Built an Electric Guitar
Ellexus Glockner—Illusions of the Mind
Thursday, April 8th
John Kauffman—My Journey Into Automotive Mechanics
Ellysia Black—Digital Art & Social Economics
Jack Carr—Young Dumb Entrepreneur
Jessica Short—Mental Illness Artwork
Calvin Polon—DJing & Producing
Alex Reynolds-Scheel—Sarah Tonin
What are Senior Projects?
The senior year at a Waldorf school is designed to be a synthesis of the students’ education and a preparation for their next step in life. As twelfth graders stand on the edge of adulthood, they long for independence and yet are still unsure of their place in the world. The Senior Project is designed to help students begin to bridge this gap, preparing them for college studies and professional work in the world. Students must design a project that forces them to pursue a new area of interest or something that will stretch their abilities, mentally, physically and/or emotionally.
The individual projects are approved by the High School faculty and supported by an adult mentor who is an expert in the chosen field of endeavor and preferably someone outside of the familiar school community. The project scope is equivalent to one main lesson block, or about eighty hours of work, and typically extends over many months of the school year. The project culminates in a formal presentation of learning to the community.
Diversity Book Drive
- Visit our SignUpGenius page to see each teacher’s selections. Teachers have chosen between one and three titles.
- Signup to purchase either an individual book or a half or whole set.
- Purchase your selection* and send to:
Contact Info
Many thanks to Mahdyeh Nowkhandan, the parent behind the book drive who is also a member of the DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee and co-lead of the Denver Waldorf Racial Justice Parent Group. For more info, please reach out via email.
The Denver Waldorf School Happenings - March 2021
The Denver Waldorf School is a k-12 independent school in Denver, Colorado
Parent Council: Student Support with Dr. Sarah Boyer
Student Support and Fundraising Presentation and Q&A
All DWS parents are invited to join our last Parent Council meeting of the school year via Zoom. We will be joined by Student Support Coordinator Dr. Sarah Boyer, Health and Safety Manager Christa Gustafson, and Advancement Coordinator Hannah Ronan-Daniell.
Date: April 13, 2021
Time: 11am-12:30pm
Location: Online via Zoom
During the meeting, Sarah will review the student support referral process and share family resources. Hannah will be joining to discuss fundraising at DWS, letting families know what to expect throughout the year, what we do to fundraise and why, and how we can all help to foster a culture of generosity in our community.
Both segments will be followed by a Q&A.
Please register to attend.
About Sarah Boyer
Sarah Boyer grew up near Rapid City, South Dakota and made her way to Iowa’s Grinnell College in for her undergraduate degree where she read lots of books and wrote lots about lots of books. After Grinnell, Sarah moved to western Massachusetts for her masters program in poetry and then to Denver for her PhD work in writing. She wrote HOWARD, a book of poems about learning to live with a chronic illness published by a small press in upstate New York (sunnyoutside). Teaching, writing, and reading are all of her favorite things. Her partner is a farmer who runs a community supported agriculture program. They live in Lakewood with their three-year-old and a dog named Oyster who fancies herself royalty.
Webinar Registration
About The Denver Waldorf School
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. Want to learn more about the benefits of Waldorf education? Join us online during one of our many virtual events.
In Response to the Boulder Tragedy
With the recent atrocities in our nation, I want to provide resources for assistance in talking with your loved ones about how to process and handle tragedy. I encourage all of you to be gentle with yourselves and allow space for different styles of processing when tragedy occurs. Also, make extra effort to check in with the children and teens in your life. Much love to you all!
For more on the many facets of mental health, please visit my blog Jenny’s Corner. or catch our webinar led by Charlie Orphanides on the benefits of movement in educating the whole child.
Talking To Kids About The Paris Attacks—By What’s Your Grief
Starting with the awareness of our own response, this listicle gives us 12 ways in which we can actively offer children and adolescents support.
Resource List—By the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
A list of links to specific articles within the NCTSN website that help adults understand the effects different kinds of events can have on children and adolescents of various ages, and what to do to reduce trauma and promote resilience. Some articles are available in Spanish.
Explaining the News to Our Kids—By Common Sense Media
A 30 second video accompanies this article talking about the potential trauma of constant media exposure, especially when tragedy occurs. Addressed are appropriate responses according to age group, roughly matching the first three planes of development.
How to Talk to Kids and Teens About World Trauma—By Karen Young of Hey Sigmund
10 general tips for having conversations that will help children manage and accept catastrophic events and find hope again followed by specific advice for each age group, roughly following the planes of development.
Talking About Tragedy—By Jack M. Jose for Angels and Superheroes
Jack M. Jose, principal of Gamble Montessori, gives teachers 4 questions to guide student discussion, and quite a lot of insight. Although aimed primarily at Secondary teachers, this article is also useful for parents and teachers of younger students.
Kids and Disasters: How to help them recover—By Betty Lai for The Conversation
A look at the short and long term effects of trauma caused by the experience of a disaster and ongoing trauma, such as war, on children, and how to support the development of resilience.
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers—By the National Association of School Psychologists
7 tips to support children, and a list of talking points to keep in mind and emphasize in conversation that will reassure while maintaining a realistic outlook.
Read-a-Thon
Our beloved Read-a-Thon Fundraiser
Kindergarten through high school students are making reading a ritual with our annual Read-a-Thon Fundraiser.
Register or Sponsor a Student
Learn more n how to support The Denver Waldorf School.
Basketball Season Highlights
Reflecting on a Stellar Spartan Basketball Season
About the 2021 Spartan Basketball season, our coaches had plenty of positive things to say:
We saw a resurgence of the girls program, led by a group of Juniors (Eliza Blanning, Stazi Salazar, Daisy Neyman, and Liv Kuijper) and some talented newcomers (transfer Hannah Witkoff and Freshmen Maisa Volk and Megan Blanning). The Spartans will return a strong core of players that grew throughout this season. They look to add some talented 8th graders to the mix next year to make a strong push at a league title next year!
The boys team continued to accept tough challenges again this year, and for the third consecutive season, they made State contention post-season play. The Spartan boys are losing a couple of valuable seniors (Kobi McMillen, Jack Carr, and Alex Reynolds-Scheel), but are returning a strong core of players that are hungry for bigger things. Led by the Junior class (Will McHenry, Dylan Quinn, Lucas Lewis, Izzak Hayes-Rogoff, Jonah Carr, and Jasper Pastor), this Spartan team is battle-tested and will be ready to make its mark next year in our league and in the state!
In the Coaches' Words
Overall, this year's basketball season was such a huge success, considering up until mid-December there was no guarantee of a season due to Covid restrictions. We are so very proud of all of our student athletes for their hard work and commitment to our school and sports program!
"We had a great season—something to build upon—not just for our team but for our school. The future is bright for DWS Girls Basketball."
—Brian Davis, Denver Waldorf Girls Basketball Head Coach
"Our boys team fought through a tough season of uncertainty and made it to the State Tournament playing and giving their all. We look forward to growing in the off-season and coming back stronger than ever."
—Michael Quinn, Denver Waldorf Boys Basketball Head Coach
All League Awards
We would also like to acknowledge a few players who were recognized for their achievements on the court by other coaches with the league. All League Awards are a breakdown of the top players in the league (1st team the the top 5 players in the league, 2nd team represents at top 10 player in the league and Honorable Mention represents players in the top 10-18 players).
1st Team All-League
Will McHenry
2nd Team All-League
Eliza Blanning
Honorable Mention
Dylan Quinn
Hannah Witkoff
Maisa Volk
Congratulations on a great year! GO SPARTANS!
Social U: How to Build an Online Presence
How to Build a Positive Digital Presence
Do your social media profiles paint you in the most positive light for landing an internship or job or getting into your top pick for college? Before you start applying, learn how to create your personal brand online with marketing experts Anne Macomber and Andrea Enright.
Date: March 23, 2021
Time: 12pm MST
Location: Online via Zoom
Please register to reserve a seat.
What You’ll Learn
During this workshop, Anne and Andrea will focus on key communication skills as juniors and seniors get ready to launch into the future. You’ll learn how to:
- Make the most out of social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
- Write a compelling email
- Start wrapping your head around writing a résumé
About Anne Macomber
With 20 years of experience as a creative storyteller in Advertising and Marketing and writer and 10 years in management, Anne nurtures a strong team culture of curiosity, collaboration and creativity. From overnight survivalist training in the Colorado Wilderness with a former Marine to annual Halloween movie & makeup sessions, team culture has always been a leadership priority for her. As a leader, she is fiercely dedicated to building teams, having fun, landing the plane, making the impossible possible and employing an inventive use of swear words.
About Andrea Enright
Andrea is a small town Illinois girl, living in a Colorado world. She runs The Boot Factor and her messaging, storytelling strategy, spirited coaching and personal branding has helped coaches and consultants get noticed, get clients and get brave with their brand since 2002. Andrea’s past includes corporate drudgery, hum drum content marketing, B-movie acting and plenty of hitchhiking in dangerous countries. Obviously, no reason not to trust her!
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.
Register to Reserve a Spot
Drug and Alcohol Parent Education
An Evening with Colt Smith
We understand adolescence is a time of risk taking, but the more we know about the effects of drugs and alcohol on the teenage brain, the more we can act proactively dissuade use in our students. Want to learn more? Join School Counselor Jenny Thompson and Colt Smith in a discussion on how substances are affecting our youth. All are welcome to attend!
Date: March 18, 2021
Time: 7pm MST
Location: Online via Zoom
Please note that Colt will be speaking to our high school students about his own journey in and out of recovery and his knowledge of how it negatively affects our ability to make sound decisions for ourselves and our future. He realizes a one-hour presentation is not all it takes to reach our youth, so, Colt will also have information about how we can continue to support our students throughout the teenage years.
About Colt Smith
Colt Smith is an award-winning speaker who himself is a recovering addict. He brings compassion, empathy, and a breadth of knowledge about the effects of drugs and alcohol on the human being. Learn more about him on his website Colt’s Drug Talks.
About The Denver Waldorf School
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. Want to learn more about the benefits of Waldorf education? Join us online during one of our many virtual events.
Register to Reserve a Spot
All parents of Denver Waldorf High School students are strongly encouraged to attend.