The genesis

Twenty years after the founding of the school, and following several years of research and preparation, the East Bay Waldorf School initiated its high school with a ninth grade in September 2000. We now offer a full complement of grades 9-12. Enterprising teachers who are specialists in their fields and love to work with teenagers, challenge the students to develop courage, compassion and responsibility.

The vision

Waldorf education inspires adolescents to become purposeful and effective in the world. It imbues them with a love for life and learning. The Waldorf high school curriculum meets the unique needs of adolescents with rigorous academics, artistic discipline and practical challenge. It prepares young people to face the future with confidence, competence and initiative. The high school arises as a natural continuation of the well-established elementary school, and it both contributes to and benefits from the rich natural and cultural resources of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The adolescent

Adolescence is a uniquely dynamic and creative stage of human development. Adolescents experience profound questions: Who am I really? What do I believe to be true? What do I care about? How will I contribute to the world? They search for truth and probe for deeper meaning as they explore their own identities, their values and their roles in the world. They open to the world around them. In the Waldorf curriculum, newly emerging feelings, ideals and thoughts are balanced and pursued through hands-on practical and artistic experiences.

The program

The work in grades nine through twelve builds on the foundations of the lower school: imaginative thinking, enlivened feeling and practical skill. The sciences, humanities and arts interweave within the curriculum to form an integrated whole. Subjects chosen around a common theme unify a rich variety of ideas and experiences. Each year's theme addresses the students' corresponding developmental challenges. The academic content engages the students with a broad view of life, from the achievements of individuals to global issues. The building of solid practical skills fortifies the adolescents' abilities to find meaning in their lives, to develop human relationships and to know that, through their own efforts, they can make a difference in the world.