Discover Your True Self

The Green Meadow Waldorf High School experience leads each unique student on a path of self discovery where rigorous academics are brought to life.

Overview

Our comprehensive curriculum is a journey of dynamic academics, hands-on experiences, creative inquiry, artistic exploration, and meaningful human connection.

At Green Meadow Waldorf High School, students:

  • Engage in hands-on experiences where they develop sharp academic skills through creative inquiry and problem solving experiences.
  • Join a learning environment that challenges their thinking, leading to meaningful life-long learning.
  • Belong to a collective of young people who value integrity, honesty, and empathy.
  • Are recognized, celebrated, and valued as unique individuals.
  • Develop a deep, genuine interest in the world, in themselves, and in their fellow human beings.
  • Are thoroughly prepared for college and beyond.

“To truly know the world, look deeply within your own being; to truly know yourself, take real interest in the world.”

— Rudolf Steiner

a unique Waldorf school

High School Curriculum

The high school curriculum is designed to take our students on a journey of world discovery and self-discovery, enabling them to encounter challenges, articulate questions, discover strengths, and find passions.

 

Grade 9

Our curriculum begins in the modern world; 20th and 21st century in history, contemporary short stories in literature, recent discoveries in life sciences, etc. The ninth grader hungers for experiences of our contemporary world.

The 9th grade curriculum builds students’ powers of exact observation: in the sciences, to describe and draw precisely what happened in the lab experiments and demonstrations; in the humanities, to recount clearly a sequence of events or the nature of a character without getting lost in the confusion of details. The seminal question: What? What happened? What is going on here? What did you see and hear?

Subjects Studied

MORNING LESSON BLOCKS

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
Copper work, blacksmithing, stone carving
Choral Music: Sound Assembly Required
Band & Orchestra
Physical Education
Basic principles of Eurythmy Movement, Gesture and Choreography

Grade 10

The tenth grade student begins to discover a balance or midpoint between the polarities of 9th grade. The students study color and color theory in fine art; in chemistry, the study of acids and bases; in physics, the principles of mechanics in earth sciences; the self-regulating processes of weather patterns in astronomy; and the co-equality of centripetal and centrifugal forces in embryology. Through the study of balance in natural and human phenomena, students can begin to find their own fulcrum.

In tenth grade, observation is expanded to include comparison and the question of “What?” is replaced with “How?” How are acids different from bases? How do cultural and religious traditions from the Middle East and the Far East differ from those in the West?

Subjects Studied

MORNING LESSON BLOCKS

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: Complex Numbers and Transcendental Functions
Geometry B and Honors Geometry B: Logic and Deductive Reasoning
U.S. Judicial System: Cases that shaped the US Judicial system and a Mock Trial
From Utcaere to Woke, The Story of the English Language (History of English, Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare)
An Odyssey through Literature
The Art of Writing: Comparison Contrast
Science Elective (Physics/Biology/Chemistry, in rotation)

ARTS, MUSIC, AND MOVEMENT

Color theory and watercolor painting
Clay modeling and pottery on a wheel
Chorus
Band & Orchestra
Physical Education
Eurythmy Principles of Harmony, Soul Expression, Color, Group Forms

Grade 11

The junior year curriculum could be characterized by a theme of invisibility: the study of those subjects that draw the student into areas that are not accessible to the experience of our senses. In chemistry, the students enter the invisible kingdom of the atom; in physics they explore the invisible world of electricity (which we can see only in its effects, not in its inherent nature). These invisible landscapes pose a central question intended to strengthen the student’s powers of independent analysis and abstract theorizing. The question is “Why? Why are things this way?”

Subjects Studied

MORNING LESSON BLOCKS

Medieval History: Empires to Thrones
Human Transformation: the Life of
Malcolm X
To Hell and Back: Dante’s Inferno
Western Civ: 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
Joinery, wheel throwing, basketry
Chorus
Band & Orchestra
Physical Education
Dynamics of music, dramatic poetry, and stage art

Grade 12

The twelfth grade curriculum poses the questions – “How do I see the world in a non-fragmented way?” “Is there meaning in life?” and finally, “Who am I?” These questions are raised repeatedly, particularly in the literature study of the transcendentalists, with Emerson’s “Self Reliance,” Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”. The ability to observe, compare, analyze and synthesize helps young people better understand the world they are inheriting and at the same time, prepares them for finding their place in the world. Students paint self portraits, perform eurythmy solos, and study cutting edge topics in mathematics.

Subjects Studied

MORNING LESSON BLOCKS

Contemporary World History
History of China: Dynasties, Asian Philosophies, and the PRC
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, in rotation

ARTS, MUSIC, AND MOVEMENT

Portraiture in Different Mediums
Music: Sound, Structure, Soul, and the Stream of Time
Band & Orchestra
Physical Education
Speaking our Essential Selves through Solo Eurythmy

Girls looking at paper.

The experience

Student Support

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, Green Meadow’s guidance counselor guides our students through the college selection and application process, senior project, and senior internship, and assists with any personal challenges.

Kid painting.

The experience

Seminar-style Classes

High School students develop moral, intellectual, and aesthetic capacities through focused inquiry in seminar-style classes taught by specialists.

The experience

A Multifaceted Education

At Green Meadow, our students will become scientists and craftspeople, artists and musicians, writers and mathematicians, dancers and athletes, linguists and actors. They will receive a Renaissance education, with many skills and knowledge of a wide array of subjects. The broad and deep experiences developed at Green Meadow will give them the freedom to choose what they wish to pursue in college and beyond.

Beyond the Classroom

Soccer ball.

Athletics

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

View Athletics
Hands full of coins.

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.