Issue 1, # 8 September 2008
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Greetings at Michaelmas,

Henry Barnes crossed the threshold September 18, 2008, at 10:15 p.m. For the past several years, he was a resident at the Fellowship Community in Chestnut Ridge, New York. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know and work with him were always touched by Henry's generous warmth and endless optimism in life. His significant impact on Waldorf Education on this continent and around the world is powerful enough to make his departure the mark of the ending of an epoch.

Henry Barnes was born in New York City, attended Lincoln School of Teachers' College, and obtained his B.S. degree from Harvard College in 1933. He went on to Waldorf teacher training in Stuttgart until 1934. From 1935 until 1939, he was a class teacher at New School, Michael Hall, England. Henry and Christy MacKaye were married on September 5, 1939, in Dornach, Switzerland, after which he returned with her to New York City. There, he was a class teacher at Rudolf Steiner School from 1940 until 1943, when he entered the U.S. Army until after the war in 1946. Henry returned to the Rudolf Steiner School as a class teacher and high school history teacher, which he continued until 1977. During that time, he was also a faculty chairperson. From 1974 until 1991, he  was the general secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in America.

Henry Barnes was also instrumental in the founding of the Rudolf Steiner Educational and Farming Association, now Hawthorne Valley Association, which included the Hawthorne Valley School, in Harlemville, New York, where he was much beloved as a founder and a participant from 1972 until 2002.

Farewell and Godspeed.

Frances Kane            Patrice Maynard                    Michael Soule
    Administration      Development & Outreach       Programs & Activities

To read more about Henry Barnes please go to Why Waldorf Works.
News

New Waldorf High School Opens!

After two and a half years of planning, the 27-year-old Waldorf School of San Diego successfully opened their new high school with an enthusiastic ninth grade class. According to Nathan Wilcox, the high school coordinator, the support of the lower school and the greater community is strong and caring and the faculty is in festive good spirits.

Read more
Waldorf School of San Diego
News

Waldorf Student Wins Poetry Prize

Eleventh grader Misha Martin, student at the Santa Cruz Waldorf School,
has won First Prize in the poetry contest at the Santa Cruz County Fair. Congratulations, Misha, on your beautiful poem entitled 'Marionettes.'

Read the poem here:

Why Waldorf Works
Events

Waldorf Education: Accessible to All (ATA)

A conference on "Accessibility in Education:  A Key to Cultural, Political, and Economic Renewal" will be held at the Waldorf School of Orange County, CA on November 7 - 9. The Accessible to All (ATA) tuition model is based on the ideal that a Waldorf education should be accessible to all families who truly value it.  With this approach, the acceptance of a child into the school does not depend on the financial resources of the family. ATA works from this social ideal to its practical implementation in schools nationwide.

Please visit our Events Listings by going to Why Waldorf Works.

You are welcome to send us Waldorf-related events for us to post on our web site.

About Us
 
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The Association for Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) is a not-for-profit membership organization that supports independent Waldorf schools, initiatives, and teacher training institutes, and promotes Waldorf education throughout North America.

Waldorf education is a holistic and developmental approach that integrates academic, practical and artistic elements as it addresses the changing needs of the growing child and maturing adolescent. Waldorf schools engage the heart and hands as well as the mind with a lively, experiential curriculum rich in the basics, literature, history, languages, the arts, the social and natural sciences and technology.

AWSNA provides leadership to schools by facilitating resources, networks and research as they strive towards excellence and build healthy school communities. The Association performs functions that its member schools and institutes could not do alone, including outreach and advocacy, accreditation and school support services, professional development activities, research and publications.

Please contact us if you have any questions about AWSNA or this newsletter.

In This Issue
New Waldorf High School Opens
Waldorf Student Wins Poetry Prize
Waldorf Education: Accessible to All
About Us
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