Dr. King and the BWS Star Code
Each January at BWS, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy with a personal connection and special reverence. Dr. King’s work is the basis for our school’s own North Star, our Star Code.
As a school that values storytelling, teachers and administrators strive to make history relatable and personal through biography. “Biography punctuates history,” as one of our mentor teachers, Pamela Giles, puts it.
An important part of Waldorf curriculum starting in Second Grade is what our teachers call the stories of “Golden Hearts,” people who live their lives according to their values.
Pedagogical Lead Christianna Elaine Riley (one-third of the BWS Leadership Team) opened our in-school assembly by introducing Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to the First through Eighth Grade students, starting with his childhood.
Punctuating History with Biography
“If he were alive today, Dr. King would be 96 years old. He was born on Tuesday, January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, to a family of loving parents and an older sister. His younger brother was born a year later. Mike, or M.L., as he was know to his family, grew up when cars were replacing horse-drawn buggies as transportation. He and his siblings loved playing baseball and football, and they learned piano from their mother.
Dr. King as a child, known as Mike or M.L. to his family.
“Dr. King said he grew up believing in the goodness of people because of his loving family. He attributed his courage and his faith in all human beings to the support of his family. He grew into a man of great courage, and became the recognized leader of the Civil Rights movement in America in the 1960s because he had the faith and courage to stand up and speak out for the equality and dignity of every human being.
Our Guiding Star
“Our school was born in 1971, just a few years after Dr. King’s life and work were cut short. By this time, most people drove cars instead of horses, but no one had computers in their homes. Our school grew and grew, and after a while there was a storm of disharmony, when the students forgot how to treat their school friends, classmates, teachers, parents and even the sports equipment with respect.
“Led by founding teacher Jean Zay, together the faculty and students went through a process of talking about how they wanted to be treated and how to treat others. Guided by the teachings of Dr. King, they came up with these five core values.
When students and teachers finally agreed on these five core values, they gathered to post them and saw that the five points made a star. Thus they named these five values to strive for the Star Code.
Practicing Courage
During our assembly, Pedagogical Lead Christianna Elaine Riley related the history of the BWS Star Code that the children see throughout the school as it connects to Dr. King’s work. The Star Code guides our community to practice respect, kindness, celebration, appreciation and responsibility every day, in ways big and small. What the five points of the star have in common is that practicing these values all takes courage. So practicing the Star Code is practicing courage.
For example:
- Opening the door for someone or smiling and saying hello is practicing kindness.
- Picking up a piece of trash and throwing it in the garbage, or making sure to put the sports equipment away nice and neatly, is practicing respect.
At BWS, teachers also strive to bring life to history by bringing first person experience to historical events. In Mrs. Riley’s experience following the Freedom Trail and speaking to folks who were personally involved in the Civil Rights movement, it was the every day choices and courage of many, many people which strengthened Dr. King’s leadership into a non-violent protest movement that changed the world.
Eighth Grade Class Teacher Alessandra Profumo spoke about her elder brothers’ experiences in the Civil Rights movement. One was a freedom rider, a group of citizens who came from all over the U.S and the world to stand with protesters boycotting unequal services on buses and in restaurants. Her other brother was a reporter, who was in the crowd for Dr. King’s last speech, and witnessed, and had to report on, Dr. King’s assassination.
New Year’s Resolution
The Sixth Grade class recited a poem from National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. Here’s how Sixth Grade Class Teacher Christine Good introduced the poet and her poem, “New Day’s Lyric,” a poem of resolution for the new year.
“Amanda Gorman is a young poet from Los Angeles, who struggled at school as a child and even had difficulty speaking. With the encouragement of her mother and other teachers, Amanda grew to love reading and poetry and began to write her own poetry. She overcame her speech impediment and gained the courage to present her poems to the world. She is now 26, a Harvard graduate, and was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. Amanda often recites a personal mantra to help settle her nerves before a performance.
“’I’m the daughter of Black writers who are descended from Freedom Fighters, who broke their chains and changed the world. They call me.'” – Poet Amanda Gorman
After the assembly, Grades classes joined to create cards or sun catchers for elders at Hillcrest Commons in Pittsfield. These elders know our students from previous Presto Strings concerts. They rarely receive visitors or presents, so these gifts of life and love will likely decorate their nightstands for months to come. This gesture extends Dr. King’s legacy and values to our students in a deep and meaningful way. They experienced that caring words matter, and can warm someone’s heart, even when sent to a recipient they’ve never met.
Sentiments from BWS students include: “I hope you live as long as an oake tree,” “I hope you run like a horse,” and “I hope the book of your life never ends.”
New Day’s Lyric
By Amanda Gorman
May this be the day
We come together.
Mourning, we come to mend,
Withered, we come to weather,
Torn, we come to tend,
Battered, we come to better.
Tethered by this year of yearning,
We are learning
That though we weren’t ready for this,
We have been readied by it.
We steadily vow that no matter
How we are weighed down,
We must always pave a way forward.
*
This hope is our door, our portal.
Even if we never get back to normal,
Someday we can venture beyond it,
To leave the known and take the first steps.
So let us not return to what was normal,
But reach toward what is next.
*
What was cursed, we will cure.
What was plagued, we will prove pure.
Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,
Those fortunes we foreswore, now the future we foresee,
Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awake;
Those moments we missed
Are now these moments we make,
The moments we meet,
And our hearts, once altogether beaten,
Now all together beat.
*
Come, look up with kindness yet,
For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.
We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,
But to take on tomorrow.
*
We heed this old spirit,
In a new day’s lyric,
In our hearts, we hear it:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
Be bold, sang Time this year,
Be bold, sang Time,
For when you honor yesterday,
Tomorrow ye will find.
Know what we’ve fought
Need not be forgot nor for none.
It defines us, binds us as one,
Come over, join this day just begun.
For wherever we come together,
We will forever overcome.
BWS Fourth Grader’s illustration from a biography book project in Library class.
For past BWS articles about events and reading celebrating Dr. King and other “Golden Hearts,” visit:
Waldorf 101: PARENT INFORMATION Events
We’ve curated this collection of Parent Information Events (P.I.E!) to welcome new families, and partner with current families whose children are growing into the next stage of their development. Join us to learn more about the “how, when and whys” of Waldorf Education that your family will cherish for a lifetime.
Learning to Become Yourself!
Looking Forward to Middle School *
WED January 15, 2025, 8:30-9:30 a.m. EST
Starting with coffee in the Jean Zay Memorial Library (BWS Grades School building), this in-person event is for current and prospective families whose children will be entering Sixth, Seventh or Eighth Grades in September 2025 (and those looking into the future). Meet teachers and administrators to learn more about our Middle School curriculum and programs, and how they uniquely meet your student’s growing understanding, skill and curiosity. Then we’ll cap off the morning with a visit to Middle School classes in progress.
Adults only, please. Register in your Ravenna family portal, or email Admissions Director Robyn Coe (admissions@berkshirewaldorfschool.org) to learn more.
*For caregivers applying to Sixth, Seventh or Eighth Grade for your student, please complete the tour, “Looking Forward to Middle School” and “Becoming a Berkshire Waldorf Family” as prerequisites to your child’s teacher interview.
Becoming a Berkshire Waldorf Family*
WED February 12, 2025 8:30-9:30am
Berkshire Waldorf School teachers make a bold commitment: to partner with you to nurture your child’s healthy learning and growing for a lifetime.
This live, in-person event is for current and prospective parents and caregivers whose children will be entering school for the first time, who are considering moving to Waldorf Education, or who want to deepen their understanding of what it means to become a Waldorf family. Hosted by the BWS Leadership Team, this lively conversation unpacks the cultural aspects of joining Berkshire Waldorf School, a learning community based on warmth, connection and mutual support. We’ll also discuss how to make the most of your brief and unforgettable journey through Early Childhood and the Grades.
Click the button below to register in Ravenna. All current and prospective caregivers, friends and family are warmly welcome. Adults only, please.
*As part of your child’s application, we ask prospective parents and caregivers to complete both the school visit (Coffee, Tea & Tour) and “Becoming a Berkshire Waldorf Family” as prerequisites in addition to–and preferably prior to–your family interview with the teachers, since this experience will inform many aspects of your discussion.
Register for all Events in Ravenna
To learn more about our school tours and events, jump to School Visits.
Priority applications for the 2025-26 school year are open now, and both school and financial aid applications are due February 1, 2025.
Last but not least, please save the date for our festive May Day, always May 1 at 11:00 am, when our whole community joins on the school green to celebrate Spring in the Berkshires. Thanks for joining us!
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Happy Spring! To arrange your personal tour for Grades school or Early Childhood, contact admissions@berkshirewaldorfschool.org.
The Season of Light
As we approach the Winter Solstice on December 21, Berkshire Waldorf School, with Waldorf schools all over the world, enters the Season of Light.
During this time of the longest night and shortest day of the year, we celebrate the spirit of peace and joyful anticipation by bringing light and warmth into the darkness with candles, holiday lights and observance of the moon and stars. For inner warmth and light, we take comfort in family, friends, food and traditions of giving.
Berkshire Waldorf School celebrates these qualities through a number of rich, reverent celebrations and festivals.
The Spiral of Light
Lighting the Darkness
BWS Kindergartners participate in the Spiral of Light, which brings a mood of quiet reverence to the season. Each child walks a spiral path made of evergreen boughs strewn with minerals and crystals. As they reach the center, children light their “apple candle” at the central candle, and place it along the path home, to light the way for friends.
Elementary and Middle School students mark the Season of Light with age-appropriate festivals and rituals that come out of the learning content from each grade. These speak to children with soul-satisfying comfort and peace. Practicing warmth and joy at a dark time centers us all in strength and hope.
Advent in Four Weeks
In Waldorf schools, students from all backgrounds participate in the month-long observance of “Waldorf Advent,” anticipating the rebirth of the light.
Grades and Middle School students gather on Monday mornings in December for special songs, stories and verses. Each Week, students light one more candle in the Advent wreath, to balance the increasing darkness outside. The menorah stands next to the wreath, and students light it, along with the wreath candles, during Hanukkah.
The weeks of “Waldorf Advent” honor the kingdoms of nature—minerals, plants, animals and human beings—and this theme is brought into classroom activities and decorations as well.
As the weeks progress, the Waldorf Advent wreath is decorated with crystals and shells, flowers, small animals and people (some hand sculpted by students out of beeswax). Early childhood students celebrate these festivals in their classrooms.
Waldorf Verse for Advent
The first light of Advent is the light of stones.
The light that shines in crystals, seashells and bones.
The second light of Advent is the light of plants.
Plants that reach up to the sun, and in the breezes dance.
The third light of Advent is the light of beasts.
It shines in the greatest, it shines in the least.
The fourth light of Advent is the light of humankind.
The light of love, the light of thought, to give and understand.
Celebrating Together
BWS families are invited to gather in the auditorium on Friday, December 20 at 11:00 am, where our month of festivities culminates in a holiday assembly to celebrate the Season of Light as a community.
On Thursday, December 19 at 3:00 & 7:00 pm, the faculty & staff invite the community to their performance of The Shepherd’s Play. This is one of a trilogy of Medieval plays which Waldorf Education founder Rudolf Steiner recommended to Waldorf schools. This annual gift from the faculty to the community is a joyful retelling of the Christmas story through the experience of the shepherds. Join us in the Auditorium (Grades School Building) right after school or in the evening.
All are warmly welcome to these FREE performances!
Berkshire Waldorf School faculty and staff wish your family a beautiful holiday season, and memories that bring renewed warmth and light throughout the years.
Happy Holidays!
Ceremony focuses attention so that attention becomes intention….Ceremonies transcend the boundaries of the individual and resonate beyond the human realm. These acts of reverence are powerfully pragmatic. These are ceremonies that magnify life.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, from Braiding Sweetgrass
Snow and stars from Ms. Alessandra’s First Grade chalkboard.
In-School Festivities for the Season of Light
December 6, Saint Nicholas Day The story of a wise and generous person, Nicholas captivates the imagination of our youngest students, and brings the warmth of caring and giving to this season of celebration.
Early Childhood classes receive the surprise of a basket of treats that Nicholas brings (golden walnuts and clementines are favorites). They sometimes catch a glimpse of him passing across the landscape on his journey of good will.
Nicholas visits children in the Grade School. Many of the children have heard the story of this wise person, also know as St. Nicholas, in their classrooms, but his visit is a special surprise for them. Nicholas represents one’s “higher self” to the children, embodying goodness, understanding and wisdom. Nicholas carries a golden book, and he reads a personal message to each Grade School student. Early Childhood children may also catch a glimpse of St. Nicholas through their classroom windows as he passes through their play yards.
December 13, Santa Lucia Day In our school, Santa Lucia Day and the visit from Nicholas come out of the Second Grade curriculum of “Golden Hearts,” people who devote their lives to their values. We follow in the tradition of a day widely celebrated in Sweden on the feast day of the “Queen of Light,” an historical figure who brought food to the hungry during a time of famine. Second Graders perform this seasonal role, dressing in white with candlelight “crowns,” and visiting throughout school, including Early Childhood, to bring each class freshly baked saffron buns and a song to light the darkness.
Shepherd’s Play The Christmas image is one of a humble birth surrounded by love. In the Christian tradition, Christ’s birth is celebrated just after Winter Solstice, as the light of earth is returning. This humorous and joyful “Oberufer” Christmas story has been played for decades at Waldorf schools throughout the world, based on indications by Waldorf Education founder Rudolf Steiner, and is performed at BWS by faculty as a gift to students, families and the community.
The Joy of Giving
In the Berkshires, when the earth falls quiet under winter snows, we look inward to reflect on the passing year, and look forward to the sun’s return and lengthening days.
As a community, we take comfort in the light of family, food and traditions of giving. We hope this helps you understand all we do to celebrate the Season of Light at Berkshire Waldorf School. What a joy to celebrate together!
Looking Forward to the Grades
Welcome to our first program introduction event (P.I.E.!) of the season, Looking Forward to the Grades, Tuesday, November 26, from 10:00-11:00a.
- During this conversation in the Berkshire Waldorf School Library, you’ll meet Elementary and Middle School teachers, administrators and current Grades families.
- Learn more about BWS Grades School curricula, programs and how Waldorf Education evolves to meet the your child’s developmental needs as they grow.
- Kindergarten and Pre-K parents and caregivers are invited to join this conversation, even if the transition is a few years down the road for your child/ren. Feel free to bring interested friends or family.
- Applications for Fall 2025 are open now! For more information and to get started, visit our Admissions page.
Looking Forward to the Grades is a brief introduction for families with young children and those considering joining our Waldorf school from other educational backgrounds. To compliment this conversation, plan to join us for Coffee, Tea & Tour and upcoming Program Introduction Events. For more information, registration and directions, create an account in our family portal, Ravenna. We look forward to seeing you there!
Any questions? Please be in touch via email at admissions@berkshirewaldorfschool.org or call (413) 528-4015 x. 106.
BWS Holiday Handcraft Fair is Coming Nov 16!
Fair News Flash: The Auction is OPEN! Bring your gift list and bid on your favorite Berkshire fun and treats through November 17.
Sharing the Delights of a Creative Family Holiday
Our 52nd annual gift to the community, Berkshire Waldorf School families, teachers and students come together to create a festive Holiday atmosphere, making tiny gifts for the Little Peoples’ Shop and the Pocket Fairy, transforming each class in the Grades School building into a magical realm to explore. Meanwhile, many elves are busily knitting squares to form this year’s unique Community Afghan.
For more information, contact 413-528-4015 or fair@berkshirewaldorfschool.org
For the Child in Us All
Early Childhood teachers perform a puppet story, featuring their own handcrafted puppets, with two performances during the day.
Other Fair highlights include the Children’s Craft Room where youngsters can make their own presents, “Sweet Spot,” an interactive game with live musicians (and desserts for prizes!) and the Pocket Fairy, whose many pockets are filled with small surprises.
Treats for All Ages
The Berkshire Country Store stocks artisanal and gourmet treats, and our lunchroom, Rudy’s Diner, serves lunch, warm drinks and homemade desserts.
Shop for one-of-a-kind handmade items in the Handcraft Room, and bid for gifts and prizes in the Raffle Room.
Holiday Handcraft Fair magic continues in our online auction of gifts, experiences, memberships and services. Click the button below to view and bid, and have fun planning your next adventures! Handcraft Fair Auction proceeds benefit Berkshire Waldorf School Tuition Assistance programs.
Online auction bidding opens the week before Fair day, November 10 at 10:00 am, and closes Sunday, November 17 at 9:00 pm, so don’t wait to bid on your treasures.
Thanks for bringing your whole family over to play at the BWS Holiday Handcraft Fair! Free entry and parking; rain or shine.
Happy Holidays!
Berkshire Waldorf School’s curriculum of academic excellence–activated with movement, music, outdoor learning and the arts–has been preparing students to achieve their full potential for 53 years. The school welcomes Fall 2025 applications for students 18 months through Eighth Grade starting November 1, and offers generous tuition support for qualified families.
Back to School
Berkshire Waldorf School came back to school on an early Fall day just the way we like it, crisp in the morning and sunny for the Rose Ceremony.
First through Eighth Grade students start school the Wednesday after Labor Day. Right on cue, temps in the Berkshires dropped to low 40s in the morning. Students, teachers and administrators wear “assembly dress” for this important day. In the late morning after the first day’s Main Lesson, the whole Grades school, as well as BWHS Seniors, gather. First and Eighth Grade families join the Opening Day assembly, a touching tradition in Waldorf schools all over the world called the Rose Ceremony.
A Threshold Moment
Just as summer turns (overnight!) to Fall, BWS Community Lead Renee Far (shown above on the right), one of the three members of the school’s Leadership Team, introduced the special turning point we celebrate with the Rose Ceremony.
“We are about to partake in a special welcoming tradition held by Waldorf Schools around the world. The Rose Ceremony honors the beginning of our school year and it is a threshold ceremony, marking the first year of Grade School for our First Grade students. It also marks the beginning of the last year of Elementary School for our Eighth Graders and the beginning of the last year of High School for our Berkshire Waldorf High School Seniors.”
For First Graders, everything they are learning is new. Time seems to pause as Twelfth and Eighth Graders welcome each First Grader with a rose: the whole community helps to hold space and create the beauty of this ceremony as a gift we give to our students, setting the stage for many days and years of discovery, courage and growth to come. At the end of the school year, in June, First Graders (soon to be Second Graders) will give a rose to each graduating Eighth and Twelfth Grader, as they prepare to journey across their own next big threshold.
After the Rose Ceremony, Grades school students and families celebrate with a picnic in the Big Backyard. Happy New Year!
Slow Parenting with Teacher Helle Heckmann
May 2, 2024
Thursday, May 2 at 5:30 p.m., pioneering Early Childhood teacher and author Helle Heckmann presents “Slow Parenting,” a talk based on her book of the same name and her experience as the founder of Nokken, a Waldorf program in Copenhagen, Denmark which she developed for children from ages one to seven. Helle has spoken to teachers and caregivers in 50 countries, who share an interest in providing a healthy, nourishing environment for their children.
In the school auditorium.
Adults only.
$10 suggested donation at the door.
Spring Events for Families
In the merry month of May, Berkshire Waldorf School invites the greater Berkshire community to two Spring events for families, May Day and “Slow Parenting” with Helle Heckmann.
May Day
On May Day, Wednesday, May 1 at 11:00 a.m., spectators are invited to join the colorful festival of May Day with all the trimmings, including singing, dancing, music, flower crowns and an authentic Maypole, to shake off the last vestiges of winter and welcome summer in the Berkshires. Free. On the Maypole Green at the school; parking adjacent. Rain or shine. Blankets and picnics encouraged.
Slow Parenting with Helle Heckmann
Thursday, May 2 at 5:30 p.m., pioneering Early Childhood teacher and author Helle Heckmann presents “Slow Parenting,” a talk based on her book of the same name and her experience as the founder of Nokken, a Waldorf program in Copenhagen, Denmark which she developed for children from ages one to seven. Helle has spoken to teachers and caregivers in 50 countries, who share an interest in providing a healthy, nourishing environment for their children. In the school auditorium. Adults only. $10 suggested donation at the door.
We look forward to celebrating Spring together!
Sharing the Solar Eclipse with Young Children
Sharing the solar eclipse with young children offers a rare opportunity to help your child learn that they can stay safe and grounded, even when something extraordinary happens.
Learning Through the Senses
For the young child, every day is a celebration.
Young children experience the world through their senses. They feel the light and warmth of the sun through their bodies. They marvel at the sun’s power to wake up plants and birds, chase the clouds away and peel off our winter coats.
Celebrate the Good
In Early Childhood classes at Berkshire Waldorf School, we celebrate all that’s good in the world: the beautiful light of the sunrise, food prepared with so much care, the children’s community of loving family, the safe embrace of Mother Nature, and so much more.
Instead of Explaining…
In our modern world, we focus on the scientific, material aspect of things. We tend to understand phenomena like a solar eclipse through intellectualized explanations. However, giving children rational explanations prematurely can contribute to confusion, anxiety and hypervigilance. It pulls little ones out of the developmental space where the world makes sense to them because they can experience it with their senses. The sages of old knew to meet events like this with the same wonder and reverence as other cosmic events.
Waldorf Education founder Rudolf Steiner writes about how children’s feelings during such moments are the same as what we could call “religious feelings” in an adult.
Focus on Experience
So instead of looking up during the time of the eclipse, how about we look down?
I invite you to tap into your inner quiet during the time of the eclipse, and observe your children and nature. How does the light and the mood change? Look for shadows and light. How are your pets behaving? And what about the other animals that might live in your backyard? The crows, the geese? Are the birds singing? Are the bees buzzing? How do the flowers and trees change? Is your child getting a bit clingy, or are they oblivious to what is happening in nature? Let the experience resonate without a verbal explanation.
Highlight with Gratitude
We can take this opportunity to give gratitude to the Sun and the Moon for sharing their light with us. How about planting some flowers for the bees, who are sometimes called “light workers”? Sunshine soup for dinner? Moon cakes (aka pizza or tortillas)? How about a candle for the moon and a candle for the sun, to give thanks for their life-giving light? These are just a few thoughts to fuel your imagination.
A solar eclipse is so much more than one celestial body passing in front of the other and blocking the light, it’s an opportunity to share the wonder of the world with our children.
