Aurora Waldorf School
Blog: The Light of Aurora
Festival Life at AWS (part 2) Tending the Human Flame
17:50 PM - December 15, 2021
I want to ignite each human being
Out of the universal Spirit
That they become Flame,
And unfold with fiery will
The essence of their Being.
-Rudolf Steiner
Over the past few years, we have taken a fresh look at our festival traditions. Are they still relevant and nourishing? Are they inclusive of world cultures and reflective of the essence of the human being and Waldorf Education?
Several Association for Waldorf Education in North America (AWSNA) principles are helpful guides in this ongoing process.
- The image of the human being as a spiritual being informs every aspect of the school.
- Waldorf Schools foster social renewal by cultivating human capacities in service to the individual and society.
- The conscious development of human relationships fosters individual and community health.
Through an awakening and deepening sense of who we are, of the land where we find ourselves with its climate and indigenous people, and our community’s cultural diversity, we have chosen to highlight specific key festival experiences throughout the year. The purpose is to nourish each individual’s “human flame” and foster an experience of belonging, context, and meaning, bringing healing light into our community and beyond. See part one of this blog post to read about festivals held in the first half of the school year.
Festival Celebrations Through the Second Half of the School Year
Winter Faire
The AWS campus is transformed into an enchanted kingdom on this special day. Community members are invited to experience a magical day of family fun that includes storytelling in the oral tradition, making jump ropes, and creating nature-based crafts. These activities highlight aspects of the AWS curriculum for the wider community to enjoy. Everyone is welcome!
Candlemas/Groundhog’s Day
Though the cold of early February continues, the forces of root and seed are stirring. Stubs of old candles are collected and melted, and the students celebrate by hand-dipping new candles, with light and warmth reflecting the earth’s awakening. Soon it will be time to follow the Native American tradition of collecting sap from the sugar maples around the school campus and making maple syrup.
Gratitude Day
Traditionally every spring, our students’ families and special friends are invited to visit AWS for a brunch and an assembly as our way of expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support we receive from them. While pandemic restrictions have put a pause on Gratitude Day, the feeling of appreciation still resounds for our generous community.
May Festival
Dancing around a beautiful maypole is the highlight of our annual May Festival. Each of us brings our special something to the world - a unique ribbon of the rainbow to weave into the community dance of spring! Celebrating the diversity of cultures in dance, music, and culinary traditions, all enjoy this family event; festive hats and flower crowns often appear.
Celebrations of Movement and the Great Outdoors:
May is a busy month at AWS!
The annual Circus highlights our one-of-a-kind tumbling program. Here the audience is witness to the amazing physical skills developed as students joyfully perform all sorts of gymnastic tricks.
Fifth and Sixth Grade students compete in a Pentathlon as a culmination of their study of Ancient Greece. The theme for the event is Beauty, Truth, and Strength.
On Field Day, students from First through Eighth grade participate in a friendly competition of team games.
These traditions offer our students joyful interactions with one another before the end of the school year. Many fond memories are made at these events!
End of Year Assembly, Rose Ceremony
As the students complete their journey through the grades, families, and friends celebrate this event on the last day of school. The youngest grade students say goodbye to the graduating class with a gift of roses.
Graduation
The school community celebrates each class’s graduation with a ceremony that often includes presentations by students and teachers. It is traditionally well-attended by staff, faculty who have supported and nurtured the class, family members, friends, and many younger schoolmates who have formed strong bonds with their upper school friends. It is a clear testimony to our school community members’ deep sense of connection towards one another.
So the school year finds its beginning and ending with the passing of a rose from hand to hand. Now the lengthening days call to the myriad activities and refreshment of summer. We can bathe in the great out-breath, soaking up the sunshine, until we gather again with courage and joyful expectation for the first school day of the fall to tend the human flame and let the Light of Aurora rise anew.
The Light of Aurora shines bright from within
With handshake and hard work our journeys begin,
In classroom, at creekside, we learn and we play,
Our courage and wisdom unfolding each day,
The future awaits the light we bring,
Aurora Waldorf School joyfully sing!
Maria Ebersole, AWS Eurythmy Teacher and Therapeutic Eurythmist, finished the Waldorf Teacher Training in 1985 in Germany, graduated from the Eurythmy Academy in the Hague, Netherlands in 1990, and completed the Therapeutic Eurythmy Training in 2007 in Copake, NY. She has been at Aurora Waldorf School since 2003, has a private practice, and resides with her husband in East Aurora. They have two adult children who both graduated from AWS.
Jaime Thompson, current AWS Marketing and Communications Coordinator, has completed various Waldorf training programs and has an M.Ed. and B.S. in Early Childhood Education from SUNY Fredonia. In the past, she has served as an Early Childhood teacher at AWS and is the proud parent to two AWS alumni and one current middle schooler.