Richmond Waldorf School Celebrating 25 Years

by Brigette Kelly 06.2022

Children, wearing yellow raincoats and boots, roam across the lawn in front of Richmond Waldorf School—a Northside icon. Though there’s just a drizzle, the kid’s are prepared for a full on downpour. Parents greet each other with open arms, and many of the children wear crowns crafted of flowers. They’re all here to celebrate school’s 25th anniversary.

Today is also Waldorf’s annual May Faire celebration, a day when this tight-knit community gets together to celebrate folk traditions. 

Before the celebration begins, students sing a song. The third graders stand in front of several ceramic murals on the school’s front elevation. They shyly sway to the music. Those kids helped create the murals under the guidance of Merinda Cecilia, a Waldorf mother and local artist. The theme of the piece is interconnectedness. Younger students crafted the “underworld”, third and fourth graders worked on the “earthly realm”, and the middle schoolers created the “heavenly realm.”

“It’s beautiful how it came together and how the kids all used their own ideas,” Cecilia says, “I love it. They did a great job,” 

Once the children finish singing and the parents take their final photos, everyone moves through the front door of the school. 

Inside, the air smells strongly of popcorn, evoking memories of elementary school. Hundreds of people wait in line for tickets as children, dressed in fairy-like costumes, race down the hall in a frenzy to get to the tie-dye station. 

“There are bunnies in there!” an especially eloquent young girl squeals to her father. 

She walks down the hall in hopes of holding one, as another group of children make their way to the puppet show. 

Dallas Wommack, a teacher at Waldorf and mother of four, wears teased hair that is meticulously woven with leaves and twigs. She raves about the school’s community and welcoming environment. 

“The school is probably the warmest community in Richmond,” Dallas says. Her husband nods in agreement.  

She talks about the school’s nature-focused philosophy and its hands-on approach to learning. 

“Most things here are hand-made,” she says. “Waldorf learning is more about what a person can do, versus what one can acquire.” 

Even after my brief introduction to the school, it seems evident that Waldorf puts this ideology into practice. Students are given the reins to create at their own pace, while teachers and volunteers provide a nurturing environment for children to thrive in. 

Valerie Hogan, an enrollment officer and planner of the event, couldn’t be prouder of this year’s celebration. Hogan planned the festival to be full of movement, art, and imagination. 

“We do all of these traditions to celebrate the bounty of spring,” she says as she points to the May Pole.

 The May Pole, erected outside the building, is still wrapped in ribbons. To begin the celebration earlier that day, younger students had danced around the pole, and middle schoolers played their instruments, honoring this time-worn tradition celebrated by people around the world. 

Back inside, the older students take to the dance floor in the gymnasium. The DJ blasts music like “What Does the Fox Say”, and the “Hannah Montana Theme Song” which remind me of my own halcyon days. The energy at Richmond Waldorf is warm and accepting, and as I make my way back to my car I feel embraced by it all.