In this newsletter you will find...
Why Waldorf?
SFWHS Literary Magazine
Senior Symposium
Senior Class Trip
A Look to the Future College & Areas of Study
Founders’ Night - Spring 2024 Around Campus
Campus Tours
Academic Open House & Student Panel
Co-Curricular Open House & Student Panel
Student Visits
Information Session & Social
Belonging Event (DEI)
“Winning is overrated; Thinking back on my high school athletic career, hundreds of games, thousands of practices, and some very long van rides, my mind drifts not to the victories or banners won, nor the awards or honors received; no My thoughts choose another route, converging on memories of long talks in the vans, hysterically laughing after practices, and end of season meetings where emotions and appreciation would spill out for everyone to hear. Waldorf athletics changes people, I would argue more emotionally than physically As we ' ve gone throughout the years, I've seen my peers grow not only from small freshmen into amazing athletes; but from young, nervous teenagers, into confident, mature, and gracious adults. But how do these changes occur? Whether knowingly or unknowingly, every single Waldorf athlete is (like a rose seed) being watered day in and day out during their athletic career. Learning from their peers, coaches, and countless mistakes, each individual begins to grow and blossom over the years, and it is only now that this career is over, that I can look back and say winning is overrated! and that throughout all the change… at each state, at each moment, we are perfectly all right as we are.”
MILES, ALUMNI
CLASS OF 2024
“Those of us who were at the Waldorf grade school know that Waldorf raises young students in a very familial environment. In high school, our community grew, our friendships expanded outside of our school lives, and we were taught by different teachers every few months With these changes came new freedoms, as well as greater uncertainties. This natural phase in development known as teenage angst is a key component to the advancement of communities, especially ones centered around teenagers, but Waldorf never let us forget that although we were sometimes rebellious and cynical, we still were family. The effort that has been put into keeping us together is not something to be taken for granted. We’ve been entrusted with the tasks of hosting dances, serving lunches, organizing bake sales and clothing drives all while leading our own class meetings We have been given more autonomy as well as more responsibility, and our accomplishments would not have been possible without the bonds we share. We’ve learned to communicate through our disagreements because no matter what, we still had to come to school and be together again As stated by Lilo and Stitch in the movie Lilo and Stitch: "’Ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind or forgotten." Even though we’ll be moving into our individual lives, and we’ll no longer be in proximity with one another, I hope we all remember that here at Waldorf, nobody has been left behind or forgotten, and we will always be a family.”
S.T.E.A.M.
ELANGO, ALUMNI
“In middle school, I had a class called STEAM which stood for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math I really came to understand and appreciate this at Waldorf. Frank Oppenheimer, yes that brother of Robert Oppenheimer the father of the atomic bomb, said “the best way to learn is to teach”. He said this when he founded the Exploratorium here in San Francisco. I have had the chance to work there since 10th grade and found how similar the approach to science education is here at Waldorf We question everything and use a hands on approach Dr Carini often told us that a few days after learning a new concept, we should get a napkin and redo the problem over breakfast. Ms. Honig tasked us with making a periodic table where, instead of elements, we based it on our own interest so we could teach people about ourselves while learning about the table In Mr Farey’s calculus main lesson we sang together ’Calculus and its fundamental theorem instantaneous velocity and integral of...’ . Instead of dreading calculus we came to musically appreciate it. And so many more. The unique approach to STEM education makes us stand out among the others who receive it in a more traditional way. Instead of reading textbooks all day, we built projects and learned songs Even though the majority of my class are not going to be pursuing STEM in the future, everyone has developed the problem solving skills to approach almost any problem in life. I will be venturing into the STEM world next year at UC Davis and will forever be grateful for the education I have received at Waldorf.”
SARAH, ALUMNI
CLASS OF 2024
“Over our 4 years in high school we have had many humanities classes. We started in ninth grade with revolutions and grammar then in 10th grade we had explorations in early literature In 11th grade, We moved onto US history, and this past year some of us took film and literature or world affairs, but we all had senior essay. I am so grateful for the opportunities that Waldorf has given me, and that only Waldorf could give me. I have learned so much and found my passion and college major, international studies, through these classes Additionally, there were more humanities classes in the form of main lessons that I am so thankful to have had. In our high school careers, my class has had many dedicated humanities teachers, and I’d like to take a moment to thank them for all they have taught us, the joy they’ve brought, and their enthusiasm for their topic.”
��: As I walk through our school, the walls tell the stories of many a class and student. Through periodic tables, mandarin projects, watercolor paintings, and photo galleries, I’m transported into a world that our students create through art. During winter I see people wear brightly complex scarves they wove in 10th grade I see notebooks, bound in 11th used during class. I smell smoke from the iron forge outside and hear the pinging of hammers as they hit copper bowls. Every day, in almost every class, we are entrenched in art, and our school and teachers have fostered a space of creativity and exploration like no other Thank you, truly. Not often have I felt so proud of my work, but I can say I’m proud of my artistic projects here. The amount of time given to us weekly has allowed me to explore my capabilities in artistic fields I never could have imagined experimenting with Now when I see a knife, a ring, a woven basket, or scarf, a stained glass window, I understand the processes, time, and effort put into their creation, and I’m so grateful for these classes that have expanded my knowledge of art and its history In our music education, we get to see the ways people communicate not with words but with feeling. I am so thankful for the opportunities to explore music and performance these past years. I joined jazz online in 2020, which was certainly a rough and isolating period, but throughout that year I collaborated with classmates to compose digital music projects, which sparked my interest for creating music and finding my own sound. I believe that in the past 4 years we have all communicated in ways deeper than words can describe, and I hope I have made you all feel heard too
��: Our theater community has always been small but mighty. In every production, the passion of our director Ms. Lacy and the determination of the students shines!
��: I’ve had the privilege of designing the posters for our productions the past 4 years, which I’ve always thought gave me a glimpse of how directing our production might feel. To see a collection of kids from every corner of the school, our athletes, academic weapons, Eurythmists and Emos band together like the breakfast club to create a production for the entire school community, that’s real bravery.
��: Theater has always been an important part of my life, and it continues to be my greatest passion as I look to college and beyond I have loved being in our musicals and plays over the years and have had the privilege of seeing students of all ages and experience levels come into their own and shine on stage! Chicago this year especially felt like a labor of love from everyone involved, and I'm so proud of all of us Thank you to everyone involved with the productions over the years for giving us a warm place to explore ourselves through theater!
����: At the end of our 4 years we have had the pleasure of seeing everyone in our class explore their individual passions, from fasting to bulking, during the senior project symposium. If you weren’t there, you missed out! As we look into the world and begin the rest of our lives, we know that the curious, creative parts of ourselves, the parts that we have strengthened and expanded and pushed throughout these four years, will only grow. And we hope that we can use it to change our worlds and brighten our lives, just a li’l bit.
Portal 2024 contains poetry, prose, and artwork including paintings, drawings, and torn paper art by 45 students from 9th through 12th grade The cover art, Crisis Destined, is a graphite drawing by senior Evelyn Tran Emery. Portal is an annual publication of the HS Literary Magazine Club. The latest edition’s editors were senior Marlon and juniors Beecher and Carmela. The SF Waldorf High School's Literary and Artistic Magazine is now available in digital form Click HERE to view the Portal online.
*multiple students
The College Counseling office emphasizes balance. We help students reflect on what has worked for them in their educational journeys thus far, assess their educational goals, and explore post-secondary options that fit. These are some of the schools our graduates have attended in the last three years:
Bard College
Barnard College*
Bennington College
Boston College*
Brandeis University
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo
California State University
Maritime Academy
Colorado College*
Chapman University
George Washington University
Howard University
Indiana University
Bloomington
Lewis & Clark College*
Lehigh University
Occidental College
Pratt Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Santa Clara University
Scripps University
Southern Oregon University
The New School
Eugene Lang College of Liberal
Arts
Tuskegee University
University of Puget Sound*
University of San Francisco
University of Arizona
University of California
Santa Cruz
San Diego
Davis*
Merced
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
University of Glasgow
University of Oregon
University of the Pacific
Wesleyan University
Western Washington University
Willamette University
Our graduates become global citizens, engaged in the fields of academia, business, technology, public service, and the arts These are just some of the degrees our graduates have pursued the past three years:
Finance and Economics*
Medicine
Violin Performance
Marketing*
Painting
Industrial Design*
Philosophy
English*
Psychology*
Health Sciences
Theater Performance*
International Studies
Physics*
International Strategy and Security
Kinesiology
Production Design
Political Science
Biology *
Computer Science*
Politics
Art Studio
Sociology*
Biochemistry*
Asian-American Studies
Anthropology*
Exploratory Studies
Forensic Science and Criminology
Engineering*
Art History
Communications
Policy Analysis and Management
Marine Biology
Fashion Design
Earth System Science
Aerospace Engineering
Environmental Science*
Women & Gender Studies
Neuroscience
Cultural Studies & Language Intensive
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
Mathematical Analytics and Operations Research
In the spring, our students work independently to put together projects they will present to our community in poster sessions or presentations. The topics featured at this year’s symposium were:
Opening Session
Building a Violin
Law, Politics, Psychology
Freedom of Speech in China
Criminal Psychology: The Brain and Effects of Childhood Trauma
What is the Intelligence Community and the FBI’s Role?
How Does Short Form Content Affect Teenage Attention Spans?
Poster Presentation Session
MIG Welding
The Art of Business Designing and Building a Turbocharged Forge and Assessing its Practicality for Metalwork
Sail Bean Bags
Marshlands as Key Players in California’s Carbon Battle Building and Flying a Drone
Nutrition and Environment
Corn and Biodynamics
The Effects of a ProteinBased Diet on Short Term and Long Term Health
Are There Benefits to Intermittent Fasting?
Closing Session
Making your First Film
Founders' Night is a festive annual event commemorating May 1997, when members of the SFWS community gathered in the grade school's eurythmy room and resolved to open a high school that September. It’s an evening full of music, art, dance, community, and student projects!
Moments from the Sprin
tastic father-daughter performance at our Jazz and Poetry event.
