Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor
The Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor is a private school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It provides a Waldorf based education for students in Grades PreK - 12, and is one of three Waldorf Schools in the State of Michigan.
History
The school was opened on September 4, 1980 in a small building in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It initially had 10 students. Current enrollment exceeds 350. After moving to a leased facility in York Township, MI to meet the needs of the expanding student body, the school relocated back to Ann Arbor in 1986 when the purchase of the current Lower School campus was made. The High School was opened in fall 1997 in a leased facility, the Genesis Building on Packard Road. In 2001, a six-acre property located on Pontiac Trail was purchased for the growing High School. After extensive renovations to the building and site, the new campus opened for classes in the Fall of 2002.
Current administration
Board of trustees
The Board of Trustees is responsible for the legal and financial operation of the school. The board includes faculty, parents and community members. In order to facilitate the work of the board, committees have been established which implement policy, make policy recommendations and report directly to the Board of Trustees. All board committees have at least one faculty representative.
College of Teachers
At the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, ultimate responsibility for all matters of pedagogy rests with the College of Teachers, a core group of full-time faculty dedicated to the philosophical integrity and the long-term interests of the school. Any issue regarding curriculum, a teacher's conduct in the classroom, student learning concerns, etc., falls into the initial decision-making realm of the College of Teachers. The full faculty assists the work of the College during business meetings and by faculty committees, which take their mandate from and report to the College.
Administrative staff
The school's administrative team is responsible for operational matters that support both the daily educational programs and the long-term viability of the school. It is also responsible for implementing the policies established by the Board of Trustees and the College of Teachers. The Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor maintains a Lower School Administrative Staff (Grades PreK-8), a High School Administrative Staff (Grades 9-12) and an All School Administrative Staff.
Affiliations
Accreditation
Newport Road Campus - Lower School (PreK - Grade 8)
The Lower School is located at 2775 Newport Rd, Ann Arbor, Michigan. It offers programs for parent-tot through Grade 8.
Early Childhood Program (PreK and Kindergarten)
The Pre-Kindergarten program is create specifically for the younger child. The Program's unique daily rhythm is filled with reverence for the magic of early childhood. Students under the age of six or seven learn primarily through imitation and activity.[6][7] In the Kindergarten the students engage in creative play with home activities and simple, natural materials that encourage imagination. Rhythms of the seasons and festivals are woven into the daily activities. Kindergartners start each day with a walk through the woods surrounding the campus. Through each season they experience the natural wonders surrounding them.
Grades 1-8
All Rudolf Steiner School teachers recognize that each student has unique academic, artistic and physical gifts. The task of the teacher is to provide the inspiration and environment in which these gifts can be cultivated. Each subject is initially presented artistically through a story, poem, drama, drawing or song. This artistic doorway is one through with the students with widely varying intellectual capacities and learning styles can readily enter. The class teacher ideally remains with his/her students from first through eighth grades. Not only is the teacher's intimate knowledge of the students a tremendous advantage, but he/she can also draw out connections with the material across the years. The teacher's commitment to the class enables students to develop trust. They can then focus joyfully on their academic work.
Pontiac Trail Campus - High School (Grades 9 - 12)
The Rudolf Steiner High School is located at 2230 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is for students in Grades 9 through 12.
High School Teachers
The high School has numerous faculty and full-time staff, all specialists.
Curriculum
Graduation requirements are as follows:
English – 4 credits Science – 3 credits Mathematics – 3 credits History – 2 credits Music/Art – 2 credits Foreign Language – 2 credits Movement – 1 credit Computer – 0.5 credit Health – 0.3 credit Other – 7.2 credits Total = 25 credits
College Placement
Students and alumni have been admitted to the University of Chicago, Curtis Institute of Music, MIT, University of Michigan, Boston University and Oberlin College, among many others.
Athletics
RSSAA is a member of the Ann Arbor Independent Athletic Association (AAIAA).[8] The Lower School sports teams are known as the Steiner Stars. Starting in grade 6, Co-ed Soccer and Volleyball are offered in the Fall, Boys' and Girls' Basketball are offered in the Winter and Co-ed Track is offered in the Spring.
The High School Team is known as The Rudolf Steiner Storm and competes in the following Varsity Sports:
Fall: Volleyball, Boys' Soccer, Co-Ed Tennis, Boys' & Girls' Cross Country Winter: Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Boys' Hockey (Co-Op) Spring: Girls' Soccer, Co-Ed Golf (Club Level), Boys' Lacrosse (Co-Op), Track (Club Level)
All of the sports teams compete in the Class D level of the MHSAA.[9] Rudolf Steiner is a member of the Mid-South Conference, and has achieved a high level of success in recent years. In just the last 5 years, the Storm has won 15 Conference Championships, 5 District Championships, and 2 Regional Championships among their varsity programs.
Clubs and organizations
Science Club In 2010, a science club was founded under the tutorship of biochemist Dr. Judith Erb.
Hiking Club The Hiking Club was founded in the 2001-02 school year by then juniors Logan Willoughby and Adam Nemon with the help of a faculty mentor. Its trips have included day hikes through wilderness areas in Michigan, weekend trips in the midwest and week-long trips in the Appalachians.
Yearbook Committee The yearbook committee is responsible for designing and budgeting for the High School's annual yearbook.
Drama Club The Drama club puts on an annual performance with the help of a faculty mentor, who usually also acts as director and producer of the play. The Drama Club is one of the school's largest organizations, and attracts large crowds to their productions. In November 2014, the high school put on a full-scale musical production, Les Misérables which sold out all performances. The current schedule calls for alternating between a musical and original dramatic (usually comedic) production every other year. Additionally, each year the senior class puts on a production — a Shakespeare play — during the final week before graduation.
Community Service Club The Community Service Club is a student initiated group dedicated to researching and performing community service in Ann Arbor and surrounding areas.
Model UN The Model UN is a student group which participates in the Mid-American Model United Nation.[10] In the 2014-15 school year eighteen students attended the conference in Kalamazoo.
Garden Club The Garden Club is a student group which works to tend the school vegetable gardens, fruit bushes and ornamental borders around the school grounds. Students work with a faculty mentor to learn sustainable methods for gardening and raising food crops.
Robotics Team The Robotics Team was started in the 2013-14 school year and is a student group which participates in the FIRST Robotics competitions.[11]
Lower School Robotics Club A new Robotics Club was started for the 2014/15 school year for Grades 6-8. The team designs and prototypes mechanisms and creates code to run a robot. The team participates in First Tech competitions.[12]
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of the school include:
- Bryan Thao Worra - poet, writer, and journalist.
- Bella Hristova - violinist.[13]
References
General References
Specific References
- ↑ http://www.aims-mi.org/
- ↑ http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/04_awsna/awsna_accredited_schools.asp
- ↑ http://www.isacs.org/page/472118_Search_for_a_School.asp?school=241
- ↑ http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/04_awsna/awsna_accredited_schools.asp
- ↑ http://www.isacs.org/page/472118_Search_for_a_School.asp?school=241
- ↑ http://www.waldorfinthehome.org/2012/03/learning_through_imitation_1.html
- ↑ http://www.iaswece.org/waldorf_education/what_is.aspx
- ↑ http://www.steinerschool.org/lower-school/athletics-1-8/
- ↑ http://www.mhsaa.com/schools
- ↑ http://mamunonline.com/
- ↑ http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc
- ↑ http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc
- ↑ "Ciao, Bella!: Violinist Bella Hristova Performs for Quad City Arts". River Cities' Reader. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 2012-09-08.