SFWS TODAY: Class Projects GRADE 8 AND SENIORS CHOOSE INNOVATION TO COMPLETE THEIR YEAR-LONG STUDENT PROJECTS Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of the school’s closure due to the global pandemic was faced by SFWS 8th and 12th graders. They spent the entire school year working hard on in-depth school projects they traditionally would have presented in person before the greater school community. “I think it's safe to say that this year's projects were unlike any that ever came before in 100 years of Waldorf education,” says Grade 8 teacher Daisy Barnard. However, SFWS students turned challenge into invention, as they not only researched and created projects on their chosen topics, but they had to use non-traditional tools (for Waldorf at least) and create videos so they could safely present their projects online on the SFWS YouTube channel. Barnard notes that students and their families had very little experience in cinematography or film editing, which added new layers of stress to an already demanding project. However, she adds, “our families accepted this crazy idea, buckled down, watched some tutorials, and mastered their respective programs.” In making their final video presentation, there were a few hiccups and false starts as students navigated their home screens and devices, but all produced detailed and extensive explorations of their topics. Enrique Otero, the sponsor for the high school’s senior class, comments “The Class of 2020 elegantly overcame the challenges imposed by the current pandemic and delivered nine remarkable senior projects. The class showed how well they adapted to the new format, and virtually presented their work relying on visual aids and their charm, making the audience forget that they were looking at a screen.” Topics tackled by seniors included everything from the construction of an electric guitar, the creation and illustration of a comic, the Diné tradition of fancy shawl dancing, and a satchel created from deerskin, starting with the skin on the deer. Watchers also learned about the history and future of plastics and recycling, the challenges of creating an eco-friendly home, animal rights, the history of corn agriculture, and fashion design (see page 7 for project details).
A sample of Grade 8 projects: Ayla Humphrey's chocolates, a digital photograph by Serenity Fuentes, Mikaela Crazyhorse Rodriguez presenting about Diné culture, Rowan Midgette training her dog, and the cover of Jackson Blose's cookbook. The eighth-grade class projects were no less ambitious, ranging from learning to fly a plane and stop motion animation, to cooking, drumming, dog training and the history of Apollo 11. Some focused on physical activities, including snowboarding, Aikido, skateboarding, and lifeguard training, while others explored the arts, covering fiction writing, digital photography, the process of darkroom development, portraiture, and watercolor painting. One student, researching the art of storytelling, decided to reflect the current moment by creating and starring in the film “Care Bear in Quarantine.” The audience for Ayla Humphrey’s project “The Art of the Chocolatier” and Jackson Blose's "Culinary Arts" may have suffered the most from social distancing because while their work was beautifully researched and produced, the audience was unable to sample the results of their hard work! To see the Grade 8 and senior presentations, go to youtube.com/santafewaldorfschool and click on Playlists.
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