Summer Greetings from the Lakota Waldorf School!
Here at the Lakota Waldorf School, summer has come with a lot of exciting news!
Read on to hear about our graduation ceremony, our thirtieth-anniversary celebration, new educational endeavors, and an update on our campus construction project.
Celebrating Thirty Years of the Lakota Waldorf School
Thirty years ago, a group of parents from the Pine Ridge Reservation started a kindergarten in a small building here on the Reservation. Back then, many predicted that this project would not last long. Most Waldorf schools operate based on tuition, and with the Reservation in one of the poorest counties in the United States, our school was not off to a promising start.
Despite having all the odds against us, we continued the kindergarten for many years; we were able to add grades one through eight, and we faced many challenges, joys, and struggles along the way. Now, thirty years later, we are still here, beautiful and full of life. We have reached other milestones, such as becoming an Associate Member School of AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools of North America) and founding the Academy for Indigenous Waldorf Pedagogy (developed by Celestine Stadnick who was a kindergartener here twenty-seven years ago) in cooperation with AfaP, a teacher training institute in Dornach. We have instituted a strong Lakota culture and language program, and just this spring, we started the Juvenile Detention Center Education Program and almost completed a new school campus (read more on this below!).
All this was possible only through you–our friends and supporters. Our community cares deeply for the children and families of the Pine Ridge Reservation, and we would not be where we are today without you.
All this was possible only through you–our friends and supporters. Our community cares deeply for the children and families of the Pine Ridge Reservation, and we would not be where we are today without you.
We say WOPILA TANKA! A heartfelt thank you to you all!
Now, it’s time to celebrate. On August 10th, we will open our doors to celebrate the Lakota Waldorf School’s thirtieth anniversary and the opening of our new school building. We invite you all and hope to see you there!
Please join us for the Lakota Waldorf School’s anniversary and housewarming celebration on August 10th at 4 pm.
Congratulations to Our Recent Graduates!
At the end of the school year, we celebrated two students who graduated eighth grade: Tehan, who joined us five years ago, and Athena, who joined us last year. We are immensely proud of them both and wish Tehan and Athena a bright future with much joy in learning and creating their path. It’s always with both happiness and sadness that we say goodbye to our students, but we know they are ready, brave, and capable of reaching their goals. Three kindergarten children also graduated and will join the first grade in the fall. We are excited to see them again this fall!
As we do every year, each of our graduates planted a new tree during the ceremony.
Our Newest Endeavor: The Juvenile Detention Center Education Program
After a lengthy process, we are very close to finishing our new campus buildings! This was a long, bumpy journey. As the Lakota Waldorf School is funded exclusively by donations, we did not have the funds to build a new school campus in one stretch. Instead, we engaged in fundraising campaigns and built as funds became available. It took us seven years from beginning to end to construct this new campus that we needed so urgently.
Our On-Campus Construction: Nearing the Finish Line
After a lengthy process, we are very close to finishing our new campus buildings! This was a long, bumpy journey. As the Lakota Waldorf School is funded exclusively by donations, we did not have the funds to build a new school campus in one stretch. Instead, we engaged in fundraising campaigns and built as funds became available. It took us seven years from beginning to end to construct this new campus that we needed so urgently.
We were honored to have the twelfth-grade class from the Washington Waldorf School visit us for their senior trip. Over three days, the students lazured our new building under the guidance of lazure artist Charles Andrade. They left it shining in the most beautiful colors.
Thank you to these amazing, hard-working students for this extraordinary gift. We cannot wait to move in!