The Waldorf School Is Growing

By Laurie Borst

If you were driving on Route 302 on the morning of August 24 and saw a building hovering above the ground, you happened to see the arrival of the new classrooms at the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School.

The school was incorporated in 1990. It began in New Milford with ten children in a kindergarten class. In 2000, the school purchased property from the Newtown Montessori School on Jacklin Road and on Route 302. In 2001, a building at 51 Dodgingtown Road was acquired and in 2004, one at 36 Dodgingtown was added.

Even with the purchases, by December, 2004, the school was bursting at the seams. Space was rented from the Newtown Christian Church. The Waldorf middle schoolers, grades five through eight, occupied the rented space.

“In the fall of 2005, we began the renovation work on 51 Dodgingtown,” said Stacey Seis, director of development. “The building will be 8,300 square feet. It will house classrooms, art studios, and a common meeting area.”

The Waldorf School, which serves kindergarten through eighth graders, currently has an enrollment of 140 students. The fifth grade has 15 students and this year’s eighth grade has nine. The school offers three preschool-aged playgroups during the year.

The new building was manufactured by William Scottsman and purchased through a local distributor in Cheshire. The modular was place behind an existing structure. A new space will be built between these two that connects them and provides a common meeting space.

First through fourth grades will be housed in the new modular classrooms. The existing building on the opposite side of the common space will house art studios. Music classes and Eurythmy, a movement program, will be taught in the common space.

“Our ‘Building the Bridge to the Future Campaign’ kicked off two years ago with an $80,000 lead gift,” Ms Seis said. “That was followed by a gift of $125,000. Last year, we raised $100,000. We have another $200,000 left to raise.

“It’s been a vision for much longer than the two years we’ve been working on the project,” Ms Seis continued. “It’s probably been a good ten years.”

Ms Seis credits Waldorf parent Scott Whelehan with spearheading the project. “He was one of the initial visionaries. He kept it alive, kept the dream moving forward. Scott recruited a lot of people.”

The parent community has been actively involved in all phases of the project. Parents all volunteered their services in the areas of carpentry, electrical wiring, general contracting, architecture, and landscaping.

Students at the Waldorf School come from Newtown, Bethel, Danbury, Brookfield, and New Milford. Prior to beginning the expansion project, parents were polled to determine if the school should stay in Newtown. It was decided that Newtown was where they wanted to be.

Ms Seis stated, “Once that decision was made, we got the ball rolling.”

The school anticipates moving into its new space by the end of October.

“This has been a challenge for the faculty,” Ms Seis said. “They have handled it so well. They are committed to providing a full education to the kids.”

Kathy Grose, school administrator, has served as project manager. “It was wonderful to be working on this project. It is the culmination of a vision we’ve been working on for many years,” she said. “Just seeing the modulars put in place was, to me, realizing the vision.

“This was not just a construction project. It’s making a dream come true,” Ms Grose continued. “I’m honored to work on it.”