Discover Your True Self

a unique Waldorf school

High School Curriculum

Each morning begins with 110 minute interdisciplinary seminar-style courses taught by specialists over the course of three to four weeks.

 

Grade 9

Polarities: Ninth grade students are ready to strengthen their analytic thinking skills. They often understand the world through polarities and our courses are designed to meet them and develop depth and complexity in thought.

SEMINAR COURSES

  • Universal Themes in Art History
  • American History 1: Exploration and Revolutions
  • American History 2: Into New Frontiers
  • Comedy and Tragedy: The Story of Western Drama
  • Chasing the White Whale: The Novel, Moby Dick
  • Codes and Number Theory: Secrets and How to Keep Them
  • Thermodynamics: The Delicate Balance between Fire and Ice
  • Earth Science

SKILLS CLASSES

  • U.S. Government: The Three Branches and Beyond
  • A Writer’s Workshop
  • The Art of Speech
  • Algebra1B: Balanced Mathematical Relationships
  • Honors Algebra 2A (Graphing functions in the Cartesian coordinate system)
  • Geometry A and Honors Geometry A: Plane and Solid Geometry by Construction

ARTS, MUSIC, AND MOVEMENT

  • Black & White drawing
  • Copperwork and woodwork dovetail joinery
  • Full High School Band or Orchestra and Chorus
  • Physical Education
  • Eurythmy: basic principles of movement, gesture and choreography

Grade 10

Process: Tenth graders are able to look more deeply into the world and understand transformative processes, as they experience it in themselves. Through this developing awareness they are able to make new connections between themselves and others, between themselves and the world.

SEMINAR COURSES

  • Ancient Cultures: Human Origins and Ancient Cultures
  • An Actor’s Dream: The Tenth Grade Play
  • Greek History: Axial Age
  • Mechanics: Motion and Gravity
  • Descriptive Geometry: Drawing for Design
  • Climatology: What Causes Different Types of Storms?
  • Information Technology: The Digital World
  • Earth Science

SKILLS CLASSES

  • Algebra 2A (Graphing functions in the Cartesian coordinate system)
  • Honors Algebra 2B with Trigonometry
  • Geometry: Logic and Deductive Reasoning
  • U.S. Judicial System: Cases that shaped the US Judicial system and a Mock Trial
  • The Story of the English Language
  • An Odyssey through Literature
  • The Art of Writing: Comparison and Contrast
  • Science Elective (Physics/Biology/Chemistry)

ARTS, MUSIC, AND MOVEMENT

  • Color theory and watercolor painting
  • Clay sculpture
  • Full High School Band or Orchestra and Chorus
  • Physical Education
  • Eurythmy: principles of harmony, soul expression, color, and group forms

Grade 11

Identity: Eleventh grade students appreciate opportunities to ponder what makes them unique. They come to recognize the Self as distinct, worthy of study, and capable of free choice. The curriculum engages their increased capacities of self reflection, encouraging students to develop thinking beyond the physical senses.

SEMINAR COURSES

  • Medieval History: Empires to Thrones
  • Human Transformation: the Life of Malcolm X
  • To Hell and Back: Dante’s Inferno
  • The Rise of Western Civilization
  • Physics of Electricity & Magnetism
  • Chemistry: The Nature of Matter
  • Shakespeare
  • Projective Geometry: Multiple Perspectives on Reality
  • Botany & Ecology: The Life of Plants

SKILLS CLASSES

  • Economic Principles for Just and Sustainable World
  • Creative Writing
  • History of Latin America and Africa
  • Precalculus: Exploring the Limits of Mathematics
  • Algebra 2B: Function Families
  • Science Elective (Physics/Biology/Chemistry, in rotation)

ARTS, MUSIC, AND MOVEMENT

  • Nature illustrations: Form and Composition
  • Weaving and basketry
  • Full High School Band or Orchestra and Chorus
  • Physical Education
  • Dynamics of music, dramatic poetry, and stage art in Eurythmy

Grade 12

World Consciousness: Seniors are able to synthesize knowledge and experience, and begin to explore critical questions: What guides peoples’ action? How can I make a difference in the world? Graduates emerge ready to lead their lives with integrity, turn their ideas into meaningful actions, and meet global challenges.

SEMINAR COURSES

  • Contemporary World History
  • History of China: Dynasties, Asian Philosophies, and the People’s Republic of China
  • The House We Live In: The History of Architecture
  • The Play’s The Thing: The Senior Play
  • Ethical Philosophy: In Search of a Good Life
  • African American Literature
  • Zoology & Evolution: What does it mean to be human? A biological perspective
  • Biochemistry
  • Visual Physics/Astronomy

SKILLS CLASSES

  • Black Lives in Film
  • Theater Production–12th grade play
  • Statistics: How to Live with Uncertainty
  • Advanced Topics in Mathematics: How Weird is Weird?
  • Calculus : Integrating Mathematics
  • Economics: Explorations on the True Cost of Food
  • Science Elective (Physics/Biology/Chemistry)

ARTS, MUSIC, AND MOVEMENT

  • Portraiture in Different Mediums
  • Stone carving
  • Music: Sound, Structure, Soul, and the Stream of Time
  • Full High School Band or Orchestra and Chorus
  • Physical Education
  • Speaking our essential selves through solo Eurythmy

The Experience

International Exchange Program

We offer students the opportunity to deepen their language skills and experience a foreign culture directly through our exchange programs with other Waldorf schools abroad. On exchange, students live with a family and are able to immerse themselves in daily life in another language and culture while continuing their education. We have a long history of exchanges with German-speaking schools in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and Spanish-speaking Waldorf schools in Spain, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. We have also had exchanges with schools in Japan, and hosted students from many countries including China, Switzerland, Korea, Norway, Brazil, Mexico, and others.

The Experience

Curricular Trips

Whaling at Mystic Seaport for the Moby Dick block, Walking the Camino in Spain, Surveying at Cape Cod, Service Learning at Washington DC, Zoology in Hermit Island, a Senior Retreat and many day trips to theater in NYC, museums, historical walks, and architectural tours, all contribute to deepen our students’ high school experience.

The Experience

Athletics and Movement

Competitive sports are a central part of our high school experience. Students participate in our Cross Country, Track and Field, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Softball and Volleyball teams.

 

The Experience

The Arts

Core curricular art classes bring balance and enrich our academics. Additionally, we offer artistic electives, including making and designing clothing, a cappella singing, photography, cooking and culture, guitar playing, and filmmaking.

 

The Experience

Music

Our core music studies continue throughout: full high school chorus, band and orchestra, in addition to our many electives, become increasingly refined and demanding  year by year.

 

The experience

Student Life

Each high school class has a faculty advisor, whose role is to cultivate the health and well-being of the class as a whole. In addition, our school  counselor supports students through all aspects of high school social life.  The college counselor supports students and their families in the college and career selection and application process, start to finish.

The experience

Theater Arts

Every year all students participate in stage productions. Students learn the basics of how to build a character, practice stage movement and speech. Collaboratively, they engage in all aspects of stagecraft, including set design, costuming, lighting, music, and choreography.

Beyond the Classroom

Athletics

Green Meadow has a full and thriving athletic program consisting of basketball, track, tennis, cross-country, volleyball, soccer, and baseball.

View Athletics

Community Service

Students regularly participate in our community service program by helping marginalized families in Rockland County and homeless people in New York City.

View Opportunities

Senior Projects

Alongside regular class and extracurricular commitments, each senior selects a personal project for the year.

View Senior Projects

Hear From Our Alumni Families

Class of '89

Stefan Schaefer

Filmmaker

As a Waldorf lifer, I ventured out into 'the real world’ with some trepidation. But I was able to tackle college and graduate work with ease. The breadth of curriculum I’d been exposed to gave me a sense of curiosity and willingness to take risks in my learning that many of my peers lacked.

Class of '89

Dan Feldman

Director at Verizon

In Waldorf Education, we were guided to solve problems creatively vs. memorizing facts. It is this curiosity, creativity, confidence, and awakeness that allows Waldorf students to excel at just about anything they choose to take on.

Class of '95

Agamemnon Otero

CEO, Repowering

I remember painting, drawing, sculpting, book-binding, eurythmy, acting, and poetry with fondness, and math, biology, history, and orchestra with fits of frustration. My teachers supported my development, knowing full well that once a passion for learning is lit, it will burn for a lifetime.

Class of '99

Kirstin Wolfe

DDS

Waldorf Education taught me to solve problems. I attribute that to my ability to be both analytical and compassionate. I also am so grateful for the lifelong connections I have with friends and members of the Waldorf community.

Class of '98 & '99

The Chapin Sisters (Abigail and Lily)

Musicians

One of the most important things that our Waldorf Education gave us is a community of passionate, engaged people. Many of our closest friends are people we met at Green Meadow. They have careers (in the arts, sciences, academia, business, and the military) and a genuine love for their work.

Class of '01

Zaria Forman

Artist

I value so much about my Waldorf Education, it's difficult to chose one thing! The enduring friendships I made, how art was woven through every subject, the attention and care given by the teachers. I will be forever thankful for those very formative years of my life.

Class of '05

Phil Constable

Music Producer (DJ Hardwerk)

Our beloved class teacher and friend, David Blair, taught me the value of never giving up on something because it gets difficult, you don’t like it, or it’s an inconvenience. He taught me that seeing your goals come to fruition after you have faced obstacles makes the victory that much sweeter.

Class of '12

Alex Chin

Graduate Student in Physics

Green Meadow fosters great relationships between teachers and students and allows students to participate in so many different activities. I was able to get my first job in college, building sets for the theater department, because of the work we did on high school plays at GMWS.

Ready to Join Our Community?

Green Meadow is transforming education, and we want your family to join us in our mission.