About OWS

Olympia Waldorf School

About OWS

Faculty & Staff

Read our 2007-2008 Faculty and Staff biographies (PDF)

Site & Buildings

The Olympia Waldorf School building was formerly the home of the East Olympia School and was originally called the Chambers Prairie School. It was built in 1914, and opened its doors in 1916 to 38 students and two teachers in grades one through eight. This homey, wooden 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 into 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 vast amounts of time, energy, and materials offered by parents and faculty. In 1999, our community built a brand new Middle School building, which provides a separate educational space for our older students. In 2007 we opened the Kinderhaus on our adjacent property which houses two of our kindergarten classes.

With every new school year, we pause to acknowledge the sense of history that emanates throughout our home and recognize this place as a tangible symbol of our desire to provide a unique education for our children and ourselves.

OWS History

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 three kindergartens and eight grades. Each year finds us celebrating the addition of a new first grade in our own school building with our historic bell ringing out each morning. Our curriculum includes German, Spanish, Strings, Choir, Recorder, Woodworking, Spatial Dynamics, Eurythmy, and Handwork. We boast blossoming gardens—a kindergarten garden, a class garden, and an abundance of flowers and herbs surrounding our building.

Every fall, returning families will notice much progress on our site--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.