An Oasis for Children
One of the best kept secrets of the South
Sacramento area is a small, private school tucked away in the Lanai Shopping
Center on Freeport Boulevard, neighboring the Sacramento Executive Airport,
where it has existed in rented space for 20 years. Over the years, most of the
other shopping center tenants have moved away. Meanwhile, countless hours of
parent, teacher and student work have gone into transforming a run-down
property into a school that offers colorful classrooms for learning and
playgrounds conducive to healthy play. This work has been a true “labor of
love” for the school community.
It has an understated entrance, but Camellia
Waldorf School is an oasis for children. The kindergarten yard is home to Mr.
Mountain, a big pile of dirt, and Ms. Sandy, a big pile of sand. There are
climbing structures in trees, hay bales, a water pump, chickens, and a garden
of oak trees, flowers, fruit trees, and vegetables. Young children run, jump,
play, and are close to the elements. Walking down the central corridor, a
visitor may hear music, singing, or poetry being recited. Students’ watercolor
paintings line office windows.
The community at Camellia Waldorf School is a
diverse group of residents from the region, including families from Sacramento,
West Sacramento, Elk Grove, Carmichael and Rancho Cordova. Parents are
engineers, pastors, attorneys, health practitioners, and even public school
teachers. Many parents work for the government (federal, state and local), and
still others come from a variety of occupations. Families are from a wide range
of social, economic, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds. With regard to racial
and ethnic diversity, 8% of students are African American, 8% are Asian
American, 17% are Hispanic American, 10% are from other racial or minority
groups, and 57% are Caucasian. Families are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu,
and Muslim families. Camellia is one of the most diverse Waldorf schools in
North America. Diversity is important, but what bring families together are
deeply shared values regarding how children should be raised and
educated.
The school and its values resist the tide of
mainstream society in many ways. Public schools emphasize academics at younger
ages and preschool children are now being taught phonics, but Camellia remains
steadfast in its protection of childhood – encouraging preschool children to
play outside, rain or shine, to feel the earth and appreciate animals and
plants, to engage in song and puppetry. Rooted in the tenet that children learn
through movement in their first seven years, the early childhood curriculum
encourages movement through creative free play and in structured activities. Woodworking
and finger knitting learned in kindergarten prepare fine motor skills for writing
in later years. Storytelling and song stimulate creativity and nonlinear
thought, vital to the development of critical thinking skills and problem solving.
Gardening teaches children about the life cycle and our environment, while
keeping in tune with the seasons and harvesting healthy foods to be eaten at
snack time.
In this digital age, media and technology are
central to our lives. Camellia encourages holding back both from young children
until they are developmentally able to handle the intense sensory input.
The interdisciplinary curriculum for the grades
balances the sciences, humanities, and the arts. Subjects include math, science
and history, as well as music, art, and woodworking. 8th graders’
average scores on a standardized test[1] over the
past 3 years were higher than the expected Grade Equivalent for all 9 academic
subjects tested. Scores for 8 of 9 such subjects were at 10th grade
level and higher.
According to a study of Waldorf graduates in North
America[2], 94%
attend college and nearly 80% intend to attend graduate school. The same study
reported that 47% of undergraduates majored in arts and humanities, 43% in math
and science, and the remaining 10% in a variety of other fields.
Camellia Waldorf School’s annual tuition is $8,675.
Considered low for a Waldorf school, it is expensive for the average family.
What most people do not know is that, perhaps unlike other local private
schools, Camellia provides over $170,000 in tuition assistance to an
unprecedented 42% of its student population. Contrary to public perception, 10%
of Camellia students would qualify for free or reduced lunch in a public
school. This Waldorf School is committed to providing the integrated curriculum
to a socio-economically diverse population. Parents of all backgrounds make the
necessary sacrifices to send their children to this school.
The school’s mission is to educate by “honoring
childhood, appreciating the individuality of each student, and nurturing a
sense of moral and ethical responsibility while building capacities for
learning and encouraging clear and creative thinking.” Camellia Waldorf School
is more than a school. It is an educational community of committed staff,
faculty and parents that strives to achieve and live a shared mission.
–
Marisa Cheung, Parent &
Meredith
Johanson, Administrator