Maine Coast Waldorf School 2020-21 Annual Report

A YEAR IN REVIEW
MEETING GLOBAL CHALLENGES WITH RESILIENCE AND HOPE
The 2020-21 school year at Maine Coast Waldorf
School began two weeks earlier than usual in
August with two main goals in mind: to ensure
the safety of everyone in our community, and
to live up to our mission by making on-campus
learning a priority. We asked the community for
their patience and flexibility to make the most
of a difficult year; they responded with creativity,
generosity, and resilience.
We set up 16 outdoor classrooms, adapted to
new schedules, transitioned to remote learning
for a brief period when it became necessary,
incorporated zoom, masks and air filters into our
daily lives, and managed to stay connected as one
community despite all of these challenges. Thanks
to the collective efforts of parents, students, and
faculty/staff, in-person learning happened at
MCWS through the 2020-21 year, at a time when
it was happening for so few across the state and
the country.
The sacrifices made last year were enormous.
Parents weren’t able to linger on campus, allschool
festivals and gatherings were canceled,
playdates were limited, and most field trips
and camping trips were canceled. To top it
off, two beloved social activities - singing and
eating - were only permitted outdoors, physically
distanced. And yet we found resonant ways to
bring the therapeutic aspects of this humancentric
Waldorf education alive. The 6th grade
class performed Robin Hood, using the woods
of our 75-acre campus as Sherwood Forest.
Nancy Roderick spearheaded a virtual choral
performance of “Hope Lingers On” sung in
harmony by teachers and students. Lauren Kerr,
the 3rd grade class teacher, designed enchanting
animal face masks for the class play, letting
us see past the children’s masks and into their
characters. These are just some of many ways we
held on to hope, ‘made merry,’ did our best to take
care of each other, and persevered.
In June 2021, when covid restrictions were lifting
— and before the delta variant emerged — we
ended the school year with two momentous inperson
gatherings. First, the largest graduating
class in MCWS history was able to come together
for an outdoor ceremony surrounded by family
members, faculty, and friends to celebrate their
graduation. While some modifications were
made to safely host the roughly 250 people
in attendance, the celebration represented a
beautiful return to near-normalcy in what was a
meaningful, heartfelt ceremony that featured the
voices and reflections of all 24 graduates. A few
days later, over 100 parents, faculty colleagues,
alum, and former families gathered to honor
David Sloan, the founding teacher of the High
School, who was retiring after 15 years at Maine
Coast Waldorf School.