The Denver Waldorf School Podcast
This podcast is a place for the Denver Waldorf School community to connect. It shares stories, wisdom, and artistry from students, educators, and community members. The podcast explores the intentional Waldorf community and its journey together.
Episodes
What's up with College Preparedness? Student Edition
On this week's episode, we turn over the mic to four seniors at The Denver Waldorf High School! In this candid conversation, these students share their perspectives on being well-prepared and well-supported to thrive in college and beyond. With one student describing DWS high school as "the best years of my education by far," this discussion covers everything from the unique structur
What's up with College Preparedness?
What if college readiness wasn’t just about getting into college - but about knowing who you are and where you’re headed?In this week’s episode, “What’s up with College Preparedness?” School Director Kelly Molinet explores how The Denver Waldorf School prepares our high school students to thrive in college and far beyond. She’s joined by Adam Newman, DWS High School Mathematics and Physics Teacher
What's up with Student Support?
"Real inclusion happens when there is an understanding that everybody needs something different to learn." That is the message from School Director Kelly Molinet in this week's episode, "What's up with Student Support?" For this conversation, Kelly is joined by the Director of Student Support, Andrea Weid, to explore DWS' commitment to removing barriers to ensure th
What's up with AI - a Waldorf Perspective
What's up with artificial intelligence at the Denver Waldorf School? On this week's episode, Charlie Orphanides (current 8th grade teacher) sits down with Talon Poole (IT Director and high school teacher) for a wide-ranging conversation about AI. Together, they explore the functions and limits of AI's ability to recognize patterns and draw conclusions, while also considering human res
What's up with Being a Waldorf Teacher?
On this week's episode, School Director Kelly Molinet sits down with our interim education director, Betsy Doyle White, and current 8th grade class teacher, Charlie Orphanides. As many of you know, Charlie was our education director last year and transitioned to be the 8th grade teacher for the 2025-26 school year. As Charlie dives back into the role of Waldorf class teacher, we thought a disc
What's up with the Next 50 Years at DWS?
What's up with Waldorf education at DWS over the next 50 years? That is the question that DWS school founder Ina Jaehnig addresses in this week's episode. Together with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, they start by discussing what makes or does not make Waldorf education what it is. As they then look to the future for what this education will hold,
What's up with 50 Years at DWS?
In honor of our school's 50th anniversary, DWS Educational Director Charlie Orphanides sits down with long-time Waldorf educator and administrator Betsy Doyle White to discuss how relevant and vital Waldorf education is in today's times just as it was more than a century ago. Betsy shares her thirty-plus years' worth of experience to reflect on Waldorf education's founding principl
What's up with Waldorf High School? Student Edition
In past episodes, we've heard Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss what makes our Waldorf high such an engaging, unique, and fulfilling experience. But what do our students have to say about our high school? This week, we are grateful to five of our high school students for running the show and sharing all about their high school experience. They cand
What's up with Wonder?
There is a lot of talk of wonder at The Denver Waldorf School. As we celebrate our school's 50th anniversary this year, wonder has been the theme throughout - for our "Wonders of Waldorf" Michaelmas event, for our annual giving campaign to "The Wonder Fund," and for our upcoming gala celebrating "50 Years of Wonder." In this week’s episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (E
What's up with Waldorf High School?
Imagine asking your high schooler, “how was school today?” and receiving an engaged and enthusiastic response. That is the wonder of The Denver Waldorf High School. In this week’s episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) take a deep dive into what makes our high school such an engaging, unique, and fulfilling experience. High school should be challenging
What's up with Community at DWS?
On this week's episode, Kelly Mollinet (our School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (our Educational Director) discuss the question: "what's up with community at The Denver Waldorf School?" Our families, our students, and our educators choose this community with love and intentionality. But what does it mean to join a diverse community? How can we move from curiosity and interest to deep enthusias
An Alumni Spotlight - Ian Connolly
For this week's podcast episode, we are grateful to be able to catch up with DWS alum, Ian Connolly from the class of 2015. He is a legal scholar, a whitewater river rafting guide, and a key contributor to community environmental nonprofits. He was recently awarded the Wyss Scholarship, which seeks to support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues. Ian is currently a t
What's up with Smartphones? Student Edition
On this week's podcast, DWS high school students ask and answer the tough questions about smartphone use -- and some of their answers may surprise you! Rising 12th grader, Oscar, interviews his fellow high school students on the positives and negatives of smartphone use, the appropriate age for a student to receive that first device, and advice
for students and parents alike when navigating t
What's up with Technology?
What's up with technology at DWS? The Waldorf approach to education has always emphasized the importance of giving room to our children's imaginations to blossom - to be open to receive the beauty of the world we live in, to be free to grow into their unique selves, to nurture their creative spirits - and time away from technology is a significant part of this belief.
At the same time, o
What's up with DEI Work at DWS?
On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) speak on the school's essential work and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Together, they identify and dismantle the barriers that often impede progress when it comes to addressing issues of race, ethnicity, and other identities within our Wald
What's up with Homework?
What's up with homework at DWS - what is the nature of it, how much, how often? On this week's episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Educational Director) discuss our Waldorf approach and goals with homework. In elementary school and even leading into middle school, we want children to experience childhood - to play, to interact with nature, to interact with thei
What's up with Assessments?
On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly
Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Educational Director) address a question that all too often provokes parental anxiety: how does my child measure up? Together, Kelly and Charlie contrast the holistic Waldorf model of assessment with the rote standardization at public and other private schools in the wake of federal leg
What's up with Looping?
In a recent New York Times article by Adam Grant, the power of "looping" was discussed as a key educational component in being able to unlock hidden potential in each student. In Waldorf education, this is something we have always understood and implemented - our students stay with the same main lesson teacher for multiple years through two loops- one teacher is with our students for mai
Where Are All of the Textbooks?
We're bringing back The Denver Waldorf Podcast with a new series of discussions with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, inspired by the question, "What's Up With That?!" In this first episode, we explore the question of what's up with that- where are all of the textbooks? In Waldorf schools across the globe, you will find "reverse te
A Conversation with Alumni
It is always a great gift to be reminded why the work of our education is so vitally important, and hearing our alumni reflect on their educational journey with gratitude and passion does just that. On this week's episode, we were able to catch up with two DWS graduates, Ivy Hunter and Ian Connolly. They candidly shared about how their experience at DWS prepared them for the world beyond our
Movement in the Waldorf Curriculum
We start our days always with movement - whether jump roping, a run around the field, or a game of spaceball! And it’s not just during the beginning of the day- we find ways to incorporate movement throughout our learning all day, each and every day. We understand that the body plays a vital role in all of our intellectual processes. On this week's episode, Movement Teacher Cha
The Nine-Year Change
This week, Education Director Vernon Dewey is joined by Movement Teacher and Therapeutic Movement Specialist Charlie Orphanides to talk about the nine-year change - a developmental stage that is a significant turning point in childhood. It is a time when the child first begins to see themself as an individual, and develop a new self-awareness of the world around them. They share how our curriculum
Boundaries as Breathing: Using Rhythm as Preventative Discipline
This is a recording of a parent education morning led by Education Director Vernon Dewey. Rhythm is a integral part to how we go about our days in the classroom - the predictability and consistency allow the children to flow from activity to activity naturally. During his discussion with parents, Vernon shares how rhythm can support our parenting in the home - whether at bedtime, gathered around t
Arts in the Waldorf Curriculum
On this week's podcast, Education Director Vernon Dewey is joined by two longtime DWS art teachers, Kimberly Martin and Tom Clark. In their conversation, they share what it means to have an artistic education and what role the arts play in the development of every student, no matter their background or disposition.
Science in the Waldorf Curriculum
On this week's episode, we are joined by our science teachers- Nancy Taylor, Adam Newman, and Tom Clark. They share more about the Waldorf approach to science, and how we work to develop capacities in observation and thinking - creating flexible and open learners ready to face a changing world.
Student Support
We are a school that nurtures health in our children. That is what we do here. On this week's episode, Education Director Vernon Dewey sits down with Student Support Coordinator Sarah Boyer. They discuss what student support is, how it fits into the framework of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and Sarah's own mission to transform how we think about student support and challenges and strengths of
Inspiring Change with our Racial Justice Parent Group
At its root, our school supports a healthy environment for growth, curiosity, and authenticity. And not just in the classroom- it’s evident in our parent community, too. Today, we are joined by five members of The Denver Waldorf Racial Justice Parent Group. It was created by some of our parents here who felt a call for reexamination and growth in their own lives following George Floyd’s murder. Ac
The College Application Process
For today’s high school student, preparing for the next step after graduation looks far different than it did 15 years ago, 5 years ago, even just 2 years ago. Standardized testing looks different (literally, as it's now digital, and even optional in some cases), the college admissions process looks at students more holistically, and even the financial aid landscape has new hills and valleys to na
Mathematics in the Waldorf Curriculum
On this week's episode, we are joined by our middle school and high school math teachers- Iliana Flefel, Sarah Meyer, and Adam Newman. They share more about our multifaceted approach to engaging our students in developing their mathematical thinking and capacities.
Heeding the Call for Time Outside
On this episode, we have the honor of chatting with Ginny Yurich, founder of the 1000 Hours Outside global movement. Her mission is to inspire families to simply spend more time in the great outdoors - soaking in the many benefits that nature provides for social, emotional, physical, and academic development. As a Waldorf school, a connection to nature is foundational to our learning as we cultiva
“Where Did I Come From?” and Other Wildly Misinterpreted Questions Young Children Ask
Do you remember how old you were when your parents sat you down to have “the talk”? You know, the one about where babies come from? Or maybe the talk came from one of your teachers, or an older sibling, or from one of your peers. What we know now, as adults, and especially as parents, is that “the talk” is really more like a conversation that grows with time. Just like our children.
On this episod
Informed Giving
December is a time of year when many of us are feeling more generous than usual - and with all the extra (and extra fun) activities at the end of the year, it can be challenging to make decisions on where to channel this motivation, how to give, and why. Have you found yourself wondering how you can impact the organizations you care about most? Or how you can benefit from a charitable gift? O
Guiding Waldorf Principles
This is a time of year when, for many of us, the world feels like it’s moving really fast. Whether we are trying to keep up with work, family, perhaps preparing to visit or be visited by extended family once the semester comes to a close. The pressure to keep up is palpable. So what is it that keeps us centered?
Today, I’m sitting down with Education Director Vernon Dewey to discuss how schools al
Festival of Light Emerging
With Thanksgiving under our (maybe slightly tighter) belts, we turn our gaze toward winter festivities. But during this time, in the natural world, of increasing darkness and shorter days, it’s also a time when we are called to take our gaze inward as we search for and stoke our individual, inner light to carry us through the season.
This week marks the beginning of our school’s Festival of Light
Restorative Practices
In 2019, Waldorf education marked its 100th anniversary. But you might be wondering for any teaching philosophy, not just Waldorf, that has deeper roots, how do we educate today’s student? Well, much of what a Waldorf school teaches is how to learn. How to be in the world, even. How to “see” one another.
This includes teaching students how to resolve conflict.
In the classroom, Waldorf teachers ar
Finding Rest & Deeper Sleep
Daylight savings time ends this weekend. As we look forward to the extra hour of sleep we might get, we have an extra special treat this week on our podcast. This week, Dr. Adam Blanning joins us to talk about sleep - specifically, how we can build good sleep rhythms for ourselves and our families, as well as how to avoid confusing our nervous system when it's time to turn in for the night. Dr. Ad
A Conversation with Alumni
How does a Waldorf school prepare today’s students for college? Of course, 100% of Denver Waldorf students are accepted into college, the vast majority finishing in 4 years. And our graduating classes, although intentionally small, average more than $4 million in scholarships per year. The investment feels worth it. But what are the experiences of our recent alumni once they go beyond our doors? T
The Case for Looping & the Role of a Waldorf Teacher
On this episode, we sit down again with Education Director Vernon Dewey, this time to discuss our looping system. Here at The Denver Waldorf School, our students stay with the same main lesson teacher for multiple years through two loops- one teacher is with our students for main lesson from grades 1 through 4, and then the next loop follows from grades 5 through 8. Vernon shares the value of thes
Rhythm and Early Childhood
A breath in, a breath out. Breathing in as the children sit in circle for story time, breathing out as they run and play freely in the outdoors. Rhythm is a fundamental part of how we go about our days in our early childhood classrooms. On this episode, Clair Boswell, who leads our "Sweet Peas" parent-tot program, will share the importance of rhythm in early childhood to create predictability, com
The Festival of Courage
Here at The Denver Waldorf School, one of our hallmarks is our festival life. Throughout the year, we hold various festivals that speak to different themes we see arising in nature. These celebrations of seasonal festivals renew our connection to the natural world we share and to our community. Our first major festival of the school year is quickly approaching, historically known as Michaelmas. On
Music and the Waldorf Experience
The halls of our school are quite full. Full of rich hues from the students' paintings and handwork, full in aroma when harvested wheat is baked into bread, full of singing, and most notably, full of warmth, something cultivated by design in Waldorf education. This week, we are taking a seat alongside our Director of Music, Sara Fierer. Sara plays a vital role in our school not only when it comes
A History of Waldorf Education and Its Role Today
Long-time Waldorf educator Tom Clark, who today serves our school as a beloved high school physics and art teacher, shares the story of how the first Waldorf school emerged during the extreme chaos of wartime- a time, like today, that called deeply for social renewal. More than 100 years later, the role of Waldorf education is relevant as ever as we continue to foster what it is to be human, culti
The Calendar of the Soul
Every morning, before the school day begins, a bell rings throughout the grade school hallway inviting faculty and staff into one of the classrooms for a reading from The Calendar of the Soul. This book of verses was written by Waldorf education’s founder, Rudolf Steiner, to mark the course of the year and the interplay between the outer world around us and the inner world of ourselves. As te
The Rose Ceremony and Human Development
This week Education Director Vernon Dewey joins us as he paints a picture of the Rose Ceremony, a lovely tradition of Waldorf schools that book end the school year. It is an event that marks the transition from one stage of life to another. Foundational to Waldorf education is the understanding of human development and its phases. One principle of human development is the seven year pha
Theater and the Waldorf Experience
The performing arts has long been a powerful medium for getting us into our bodies, whether it's through dancing, plays, or musical concerts. It is the physical embodiment of story that literally and figuratively moves us as human beings. We sat down with theater director Leo Bond and rising fourth grade teacher Jennifer Grahnquist to discuss the experience of theater in our school and the role it
First Grade Readiness
First grade is a child’s introduction to the collective being of a class. We nurture a deep reverence for the earth, compassion for classmates, and a healthy respect for every living thing. From knitting to numbers, fairy tales to falling leaves, we help first graders discover the wonders of our world and understand the rhythm of life. This year is the beginning of a multi-year relationship with t
Movement and the Waldorf Experience
Wondering why movement is paramount in the Waldorf curriculum? Waldorf educator Charlie Orphanides takes us on a brief journey through the field of movement, where we will move a bit ourselves and discuss the increasing relevance and indeed necessity of movement in our schools and in the lives of children in general.
Transgender Journey
Join us for a conversation with TC Tolbert, Theo Isoz, and Dylan Wilder Quinn as they share their experience and insights of their personal transgender journey. Moderated by DWS School Counselor Jenny Thompson.
Race and the Developing Child
Presented by the DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, this webinar features a panel of DWS community members in a discussion on racial dynamics and creating a community of inclusion.
High School Virtual Open House
Step Inside The Denver Waldorf High School
Wondering if The Denver Waldorf School is the right choice for high school? Join us for a virtual open house with some of our faculty to discuss how the curriculum integrates academics, arts, and athletics in educating the whole student. Led by DWS High School Director Brie Kaiser, you’ll hear from faculty on our approach to humanities, life sciences, art
Town Hall with Kelly Church
Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Denver Waldorf School Podcast. Our first episode features the April 27th town hall with school director, Kelly Church.
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