Established 2000 Founded 2000 | Phone +1 504-525-2420 Founder Suzanne Hill | |
Grades Preschool through 8th grade Address 517 Soraparu St #101, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA School types Waldorf education, Private school, Preschool, Primary school, Middle school Similar Isidore Newman School, Louise S McGehee School, Academy of the Sacred H, Trinity Episcopal School, De La Salle High School Profiles | ||
Waldorf school of new orleans private schools in new orleans
The Waldorf School of New Orleans (formerly The Hill School) is a private school based on the Waldorf philosophy. Founded in 2000, Waldorf School of New Orleans is located in the heart of the Irish Channel neighborhood of New Orleans. The school is located in an around the start of the 20th century bread factory that has been renovated into a loft-like setting. The school offers a developmentally appropriate, experiential approach to education, integrating the arts and academics for children from preschool through 8th grade. In 2005, the school's buildings were flooded in Hurricane Katrina.
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Curriculum
The school's curriculum is based on the philosophies of Rudolf Steiner who was a contemporary of Maria Montessori. Both Waldorf and Montessori sound similar on paper, but are actually opposites in some ways. Waldorf pays tribute to each developmental stage of childhood and protects the "fantasy stage" of early childhood above all (until the child is developmentally ready for academic learning), while Montessori aims to pull children out of that fantasy and show them the ways of the real world. Waldorf educates the "whole child" and includes course work in eurythmy, handwork (i.e., knitting and sewing), and music. Waldorf education is based on the view of the human being described in anthroposophy.
History
The Waldorf School of New Orleans (formerly The Hill School) was founded in 2000 by a small group of parents who felt Waldorf education was an imperative educational experience meant for their children. The school had been enjoying steady and healthy growth since its inception and had grown 50 students strong, but when Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005, the school was devastated. Not only was its location flooded and its student body scattered across the nation, but upon homecoming, enrollment deflated to only half what it was. Once again a group of steadfast parents decided to press on. They found a new location in the Irish Channel and reopened.
The Waldorf School of New Orleans now is back on track and operations are in full swing. It is a Developing Waldorf School with the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). Celebrating this affiliation with AWSNA, the school formally changed its name on October 13, 2008 to Waldorf School of New Orleans.
School leadership
The Waldorf School of New Orleans is led by a Board of Directors, which includes twelve members, a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and a teachers' liaison among them. Waldorf philosophy places a great deal of emphasis on teacher input therefore the faculty is consulted quite regularly on the administration of the school. All teachers at Waldorf School of New Orleans are either Waldorf-certified or are earning their certification.
Weekend programs
The Japanese Weekend School of New Orleans (ニューオリンズ日本語補習校 Nyū Orinzu Nihongo Hoshūkō), a Weekend Japanese school program, holds its classes at the Waldorf School.