History

Olympia Waldorf School

History

Faculty and Staff

Click here to read our current Faculty Bios (PDF)

Our Campus

Olympia Waldorf School's main building, Prairie Hall, was formerly the home of the East Olympia School and was originally called the Chambers Prairie School. Built in 1914, its doors were opened in 1916 to 38 students and two teachers in grades one through eight. This charming school building has seen the days of kerosene lamps, no textbooks, no running water, outhouses, a soup kitchen where students prepared hot lunch every day, and horses delivering children to the door. It has survived the earthquakes of 1949 and 2001, celebrated the 200th birthday of our country, and has witnessed children becoming parents and grandparents.

After five years of rented spaces, the Olympia Waldorf School took a great step forward in 1990 and moved to this beloved historical site. The simple act of opening the big front doors to more than 70 students, eight teachers and staff, could not have happened without a vast amount of time, energy, and materials offered by parents and faculty. Our historic building is known as "Prairie Hall." In 1999, our community built a brand new Middle School building, which provides a separate educational space for grades six through eight. In 2007, our campus grew to encompass nearly seven acres when we opened a beautiful Kinderhaus which houses our kindergarten classes. We love our campus!

About OWS

Our school was founded with the understanding that education will engage and nourish the whole child in body, mind and spirit. Inspired by an introductory lecture given by Elana Freeland in 1983, a handful of parents set to work to establish such a school in Olympia. In 1985, the Olympia Waldorf Education Association was formed and was recognized by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). We received our legal nonprofit status, wrote our bylaws, and sent out a quarterly newsletter. The Olympia Waldorf School opened its doors to 17 young children in the fall of 1985.

Today, we have a preschool, two kindergartens and eight grades. Each year finds us celebrating the addition of a new first grade taking its place in Prairie Hall with our historic bell ringing out each morning. Our curriculum includes German, Strings, Recorder, woodworking, Spatial Dynamics, Eurythmy, gardening, and Handwork. We boast blossoming gardens—a kindergarten garden, class gardens, and a wild abundance of flowers and herbs surrounding our building.

Every fall, returning families will notice much progress on our campus--completed and in process--all done with strong hands guided by true hearts: hearts of parents, grandparents and families inspired by a common vision for our children.