WINTER 2018 / ISSUE 4

SF Youth Troupe: More than a decade on the global stage. See page 3

In this issue . . .

2 Welcome Letter

3 SF Youth Eurythmy Troupe around the World

4 Alumni Profile: Karin Narita - International Relations

Waldorf Worldwide: 6 Waldorf 100: Global Postcard Exchange

Our students at Waldorf 7 Spanish Teacher Febe Chacon: Report from Abroad in Europe, Asia, 8 Our Unique High Exchange Program and South America. See 11 Award-Winning Author Gail Tsukiyama images from our unique

Exchange Program.

READ MORE ON PAGE 8 In the Classrooms A message from our Administrative EARLY CHILDHOOD Director

Nursery Story: Sweet Porridge Dear Families, Tale: Three Kings The rain is finally upon us, bringing “winter” to San Francisco Waldorf GRADE SCHOOL School. Having lived around the world, I know that children kindles compassion in our faculty everywhere love new weather that and students. At a time of increased Grade 1: Arithmetic - times tables marks the changes, no matter the political nationalism around the season. Our students don their Grade 2: Arithmetic - place value globe, some graduates like Karin raincoats and boots, from the Narita (’12)—inspired by their Grade 3: Hebrew Bible Stories hearty, “outside-in-any-weather” global experiences and our diverse nursery children, to the “does-this- —focus their future Grade 4: Norse Mythology look-good-on-me” teenagers, and all studies and careers in international those in between. Grade 5: Decimals & Geometry relations. As you will see in this newsletter, Back home in San Francisco, the Grade 6: Medieval Europe Waldorf is a global SFWS Board of Trustees approved movement for all seasons. There Grade 7: Chemistry final construction of the Center are more than 1,200 Waldorf for Athletics and Community. I Grade 8: Industrial Age to schools in over 60 countries. Our am excited that once completed Modern Tmes students and faculty are an integral (estimated July 2019), the Center part of global Waldorf education. will be a beacon of Waldorf For more than a decade, the San education in our globally-diverse Francisco Youth Eurythmy Troupe city. The building and the work it HIGH SCHOOL has performed for audiences in inspires and houses will provide Thailand, Taiwan, India, , another reason for schools around China, and elsewhere. Grade 9: Idealism & Humanity the globe to look to SFWS (the This year they will travel to the largest Waldorf school in North Grade 10: Embryology - Africa Philippines. Individual students America) as leader, innovator, and share our culture (and we absorb sustainer of Waldorf education. Grade 11: Parsival - Electricity other cultures) through our thriving The Center will also be an inspiring high school International Waldorf Grade 12: Faust - Chemistry space for our fabulous high school exchange program. And our faculty students to gather, out of the cold often learn from Waldorf schools rain (and fog!), during the winter around the world, like our dear (and summer!) at SFWHS. Señora Febe, who has spent most of her sabbatical in Latin America and I hope you enjoy the weather and Africa. the world this year. All the best, UPCOMING EVENTS The global perspective of Waldorf education ignites imagination and Craig

January 25: ReGeneration Lecture

February 8-9: Eurythmy Performances

Check the website for complete calendar. 3

THE SF YOUTH EURYTHMY TROUPE The high school’s renowed Youth Eurythmy Troupe has visited Waldorf schools in 13 countries on each continent. Next stop: The Philippines.

Eurythmy around the World

China trip 2017 Since 1995 Astrid Thiersch has led her high school eurythmy performing troupe in an annual San Francisco performance, followed by a short tour. In 1999, she was invited to bring the Troupe to Switzerland and Germany. Since then, the Troupe has traveled every year to Waldorf communities around the globe.

Our students often stay several nights with host families. This can begin with flutters of trepidation, especially if there is a major language barrier (China, Thailand), but it always ends up being a favorite experience. Staying with fami- Moving Beyond Fear lies gives a special meaning and depth to the tours: we are able to go below the tourist surface of a country into people’s homes and lives. The hospitality we have experienced has been extraordinary, full of wonderful outings, meals, conversations, insights, and friendships. We have the delight of encountering and exploring diverse cultures, and our students meet peers from very different backgrounds. Yet they also find that they have much in common, as Waldorf students, and as young people in the In Germany 2016 world today.

A few of the many highlights include: Sekem, Egypt 2008: Our students spent time with Egyptian teenagers, eating together, planting trees, playing soccer, exchanging music, visiting the desert by night, and just hanging out and talking. A bond of friendship and under- standing was forged and cultural differences faded. Stars Once Spoke 2012 Udwada, India 2009: After a grueling bus ride, we were greeted by a shouting, cheering crowd, and each of us received a flower garland and a bindi. We were paraded by the town band to an outdoor stage, and welcomed by the mayor. After our performance, Astrid had the whole audience on their feet doing eurythmy, and the evening ended with everyone celebrating with Gujarati folk dancing. Beijing, China 2011: We received, and still treasure, scrolls painted by second graders with verses from the Dao De Jing in ancient characters at Nanshan. In Travels in Thailand 2017, we met many of the same students, then in eighth grade.

Mumbai rehearsal

Continued page 5 ALUMNI PROFILE Karin Narita’12 - Excellence in International Studies

Karin Narita is the recipient of the particularly at QMUL, that my prestigious Northedge Prize from the interests in International Relations London School of Economics and was cemented. I was lucky to Political Science, awarded for excep- have lecturers and mentors there tional student scholarship in the who were not only passionate in leading international relations journal their teaching and research, but Millennium. She shared perspectives actively encouraged me and other on her educational path. students to continuously question I graduated from San Francisco and critically engage with the world Waldorf High School in 2012, and politically. As a cumulation, my am a so-called 'lifer' - after attending undergraduate dissertation on the a Waldorf in Marin where post-Second World War American I grew up, I attended Monique Occupation of Japan was awarded Grund's kindergarten class before the Northedge Essay Prize from beginning first grade with Mr. Weber the leading international studies as my grade school teacher and journal, Millennium. continuing on to the high school. Karin has studied in London, Dublin, The inspiration to study the subject After graduating from SFWHS, and Auckland. She will pursue a PhD. at came from my high I moved to Europe to start my undergraduate degree in Liberal International Relations with First Arts at University Dublin Class Honours in 2016. I completed (UCD), in Dublin, Ireland. After two a Masters degree in Conflict Studies “Think and engage years at UCD, focussing my studies at the London School of Economics in politics, international relations and Political Science in December. deeply with the world and sociology (including a semester around you, but it is ok, spent at the University of Auckland Presently, I am in that 'what's in Auckland, New Zealand), I next' stage of my personal and and beautiful, to have an moved again to London, UK, and professional development. I am array of interests.” transferred to the Department of taking a gap year to travel, and Politics and International Relations am applying for PhD positions at Queen Mary, University of - in London and elsewhere in the London (QMUL). I graduated from UK - to start in September 2018. It school experience - in retrospect, QMUL with a Bachelor of Arts in was during my Bachelor's degree, I am awed at the extent to which I Continued page 11

Inkanyezi Waldorf School A Continuing Partnership Inkanyezi Waldorf School is located in a densely populated township near Johannesburg, South Africa. Our high school students raise funds to support Inkanyezi at their annual Walk-a-Thon in Golden Gate Park -- almost $9,000 this year. Inkanyezi Waldorf School outside of Thank you supporters. Johannesburg. 5

SF YOUTH EURYTHMY TROUPE, CONTINUED

Chengdu, China 2011: The school was planning a high school, and our students met with about 60 parents and answered questions about their Waldorf high school experience. In 2017, we met the students of the lead 11th grade class. Hastings, New Zealand 2012: After home stays all around Hawke’s Bay, students at Taikura welcomed us in traditional Maori fashion with taka and powhiri. Much social time and games led to us learning rugby, and At play at the Chengdu Waldorf School. years later some promises of visits Friends from Sakem, Egypt. 2008. were actually fulfilled. Ci-Xin, Taiwan 2014: The students made meaningful connections with their counterparts at Ci-Xin school, through wonderful home stays and some delightful activities the teachers prepared for us. Now we have exchange students with them, as our Mandarin program develops. It is such a privilege to see these Waldorf schools all around the world, and experience with the teachers, students, and parents our common striving for the best human future we can realize. This comes about in a special way through eurythmy – it is In memory of Thea Anderson. In the Troupe Director Astrid Thiersch and such a noble expression of the human classroom in Mumbai. the Udwada Town Band before the spirit that it lifts our intercourse to parade to the performance. a high level. This future lives in the children, in so many diverse places, including Waldorf schools filled with idealism, energy, artistic endeavor, and a vibrant imagination of what the world can be.

- David Weber, High School Humanities Teacher

Students of theThidha Waldorf School, The audience at Panyotai Waldorf Mumbai, India. School. Bangkok, 2015.

Continued page 8

Spanish Teacher Dino Rosso Featured in Hoodline SF

When he is not teaching our high school students Celebrating the Centennnial of Waldorf Education: 1919 to 2019 Spanish, Dino Rosso is helping local restaurant workers bridge the language divide. His local English and Spanish classes were featured in Schools w0rldwide are coming together to mark the centennial of Hoodline, San Francisco. Waldorf education. Waldorf 100, a collaborative, interrnational entity, “Spanish Teacher Dino Rosso has partnered with is organizing study, reflection, celebration, and helping schools focus a couple of local restaurants, including Flore and even more consciously on the global dimensions of the education. Tacolicious, to act as an interpreter and translator There are many exciting centennial projects on the horizon, starting between Anglophone front of house staff and with a Global Postcard Exchange! SFWS will send and receive Spanish-speaking back of house employees,“ postcards from 1,200 Waldorf schools worldside. reports Hoodline‘s Shane Downing. Look for a display of postcards on campus. Stay tuned for information Rosso has a graduate degree in International about future events. And visit Waldorf 100 for more information. Education and Management, minored in Arabic and French as an undergraduate, and speaks Portugese and Spanish. He has taught at the high school for five years.

Check out the full story: Common Lengua: Castro Polyglot Helps Restaurant Workers Communicate

Postcards are arriving from Japan, Russia, Hungary, New Zealand.

Dino Rosso with language students at Tacolicious.

From Germany to San Francisco

7

Spanish Teacher Febe Chacon: Report from Abroad

Spanish Teacher Febe Chacon is on sabbatical in Latin Señora Febe lived and taught at the School America and Africa. Photo: S. Chernis. Mbagathi, a in Kenya.

Not many people I have encoun- myself with buckets of warm water heated with wood, tered during this year know exactly and I washed my clothing by hand the same way every what a sabbatical benefit means. boarding student does. The students welcomed me When I explain, they look at me with nicely, especially because of the respect and admiration surprised faces; I also detect joy, they have for Susan Cook, a kind of godmother to them respect, admiration, and some envy. and source of pedagogical and material support for the community. Thanks to this partnership, I was the second I have come to realize that this benefit granted to acade- visiting teacher, following Deborah Krikorian, also a for- mic professionals has become less common. I know that mer Class Teacher at our school. some Waldorf schools still work hard to provide teachers with sabbaticals and San Francisco Waldorf School is one I taught a little bit of history, geography, music, dancing of them. And I, Febe Chacon Fernandez, am one of those and of course Spanish, especially to upper grade stu- teachers; after eleven years working as a Spanish teacher, dents. I talked to teachers, students, staff, and parents. I I receive it with gratitude with humility. went to some meetings and enjoyed some plays. I took many pictures and I taught a song which we performed in The major benefit I have received is precisely time - time the last assembly before their winter break. and space to reflect, to think about who I have become as a teacher, as a human being. I believe that one of our I realized during my visit to this school and country how enemies as teachers is getting trapped into the daily extremely lucky we are, as a school, a city, and a conti- routine, so I decided to use my sabbatical to travel to nent. I am thinking intensively about how we can support different places, explore languages and cultures, and this small community that has already achieved so much. experience the unknown and the unexpected, the unique- The school has a beautiful campus, organic farm, nurse, ness of every day. and kindergarten and elementary school programs, while fighting giant challenges like poverty and corruption. I visited one of the Waldorf schools in Nairobi, Kenya, a boarding school, for two weeks. I stayed in a hut built by They have suggestions and I have ideas, and I would like Susan Cook (a former Class Teacher at SF Waldorf) and so much upon my return to talk to whoever may be inte- her husband. I ate what all the students ate, I washed rested on this matter. Unique Exchange Program Connects Waldorf Students Worldwide Our Students in Spain - Argentina - Taiwan - Germany - Norway - Canada - Chile

The high school offers a unique and transformative Exchange Program with Waldorf schools around the world. Our students live with a host family for one to three months then welcome their new exchange friends to San Francisco Waldorf High School, enriching the classroom experience for all. The popular program helps students gain language fluency, cultural understanding, and insights about themselves and the world.

Oliver Silverman '19 studied in Germany and traveled in France, Italy, and Spain.

Sahara Ndiaye '16 attended Colegio Enrique Fernández at the high Rudolf Steiner in Santiago, Chile. She's school with his host Oliver now a student at Amherst College. Silverman.

Ella Harris-Boundy in Norway. Ella Harris-Boundy ('19) studied at Steinerskolen i Vestfold outside of Oslo, Norway. 9

Eleanor Levinson-Muth ('19) and Yang Ting Tseng at the high school. Eleanor Spanish Teacher Zoe Gressel coordinates the Exchange Program. will travel to Tawain this Spring. Photo: S. Chernis

Cash Logan ('18) studied with Kate Vintner at the Whistler Waldorf in Annwen Hughes-White ('15 )with her British Columbia. host parent in Taiwan. Annwen is an honors student and Italian Studies major at Dickinson College.

Nina Steinkemper welcomes her Spanish friend to San Nina Steinkemper ('18) studied in Madrid, Spain. Francisco. SFWS LECTURE SERIES Award-Winning Author Gail Tsukiyama

Each year, ninth graders study it took. So when you say, “did you the Pacific Rim culture and just sit down and it came to me?” history, and read the historical No. The idea of how this book was novel The Samurai's Garden. The structured came slowly. book’s award-winning author Gail I thought because I was writing Tsukiyama spoke to our high school from a young man’s point of view, students about her writing process. for instance, that it would have to In conversation with Humanities be in the third person. It couldn’t be Teacher Nick Wong, Ms. Tsukiyama so close up; I wouldn’t know what a began with a : young man thought. All these things Tarumi, Japan, September 15, 1937. started going through a writer’s I wanted to find my own way, so this mind. morning I persuaded my father to let So I started it in third person: “He me travel alone from his apartment in Humanities Teacher Nick Wong and was sick, he did this, he did that.” Kobe to my grandfather’s beach house author Gail Tsukijama After about five pages, I realized in Tarumi. It had taken me nearly Suddenly I thought about a story it was not working. So I put it in two weeks to convince him. that my mother told me about first person and it became “I.” As You would think I was a child, not her brother – how he had been ill a man of twenty. It seems a small in Hong Kong. It was her favorite victory but I've won so few in the past brother who wanted to be an artist months that it means everything to and go to Paris. It was intriguing “You would think I was me -- perhaps even the beginning to me, coming from an Asian a child, not a man of of my recovery. Just before leaving, background, that someone else in I bought this book of Japanese the family wanted to be an artist. twenty. It seems a small parchment paper to record any other small victory, but I’ve prizes I might be lucky enough to This was in the ‘30s and ‘40s. My capture. It opens before me now, thin mother told me her brother had won so few in the past sheets of sand-colored paper, empty been ill and they had to send him and quiet as the beach below the from Hong Kong to Japan because months that it means village. my grandfather really didn’t have everything to me...” a huge house. And so there is this Nick Wong: Did that opening come seed that was planted. to you in a dream? Had you been hiding that paragraph for a long And I thought to myself: what did he I started writing I felt it was much time? How was Samurai’s Garden do there? Who did he meet? How closer to what I was looking for. conceived? did he survive for a year at that age But I thought: still not close enough. when you’re missing your family How can I make it more intimate? Gail Tsukihama: My first book was and you’re missing your friends and Women of the Silk. I am half Chinese And then I thought, what if each you can’t be in school? And so this page is something he’s seeing and and half Japanese; my father was world started to evolve. Japanese from Hawaii, my mother something he’s doing? And that’s was Chinese from Hong Kong. To be a writer you are always when the book started taking shape. So culturally I grew up in Chinese thinking about how to structure culture here in the San Francisco a book. That’s always the hardest Ms. Tsukiyama is the author of seven Bay Area. I had written this first And sometimes we don’t have the novels and is the recipient of the book on China and I had no idea structure or the characters until of American Poets Award, what my second book was going we’re half way through the book, the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles to be. I was very nervous because I which means a lot of writing and Award for Literary Excellence, and the was under contract, and six months re-writing. Asia Pacific Leadership Award from went by and I didn’t know what to It seems very simple on the page the Center of the Pacific Rim and the write about. but I can’t tell you how many hours Ricci Institute. 11

Alumni: continued from page 4 in high school, but also because of the warmth of environment International was able to engage with the world he created for his students, and Waldorf Leader both around me and further afield the passion with which he taught Visits our Campuses from such a young age. What us from childhood through strikes me about my high school adolescence. In grade school, he Florian Osswald is an educator, humanities classes is how our inspired and instilled in me and my researcher, and head of the reading and learning - whether it classmates a love of learning in all Pedagogical Section at the was about the Chinese Cultural aspects of the word, and a wonder in Switzerland. In Revolution, 19th century Russian at the working of the world around January, he visited the Grade School, literature, African colonization us - these are both things I carry spoke about addiction at an evening or the American Civil War - were with me. In high school, he, along lecture, and talked to high school taught in their relevance for my and with others like Ms. Caldarera, Mr. students about Waldorf schools my friends' lives there and then. I Wong, Ms. Lacy, and Ms. Alba, in places like , Russia, and was lucky enough to be part of the taught me to engage critically and China. Waldorf education, he noted, Eurythmy Troupe and experience in depth with the world around me, is both universal in its approach different cultures through that as well as encouraging me to have and unique to each place. In Bahia, (we went to China, New Zealand, wide-ranging interests - and for this, , for example, the first focus is and after high school I spent I will be forever grateful. food. Children arrive at school and the summer in Germany doing need breakfast. Lunch and snacks Eurythmy!), but it was probably my This twin insight is what I would are provided during the school day involvement with the Model UN like to pass on to current students: and children are sent home with club, and taking the Current Affairs to think and engage deeply with bags of food for the evening. elective class in Senior year which the world around you, but it is ok, Mr. Osswald helps teachers with not only made me want to study and beautiful, to have an array of and is an politics but to do it abroad as well. interests as well. I did have a bit expert on sleep and the relationship I consider myself incredibly of a culture shock when I began to learning. In all schools, he works fortunate to have been in university - however it was a shock to help students realize the joy of Mr.Weber's class - not only because that only made me more resilient, learning. he was with us for all 8 years at the and, realize that this community will grade school and continued to teach always welcome you home.

Florian Osswald at an evening lecture on addiction.

Reilly Hurley and Karin Narita: dress rehearsal, 2011.