Three former Kimberton students working and playing in Kenya
Last Spring, Kyle Schutter '06 started a company, Takamoto Biogas, in Kenya to help rural farmers convert their cow dung to fuel and fertilizer. Kyle and his Kenyan team have built about a dozen biodigesters northwest of Nairobi. This Fall, two more former Kimberton students joined the company-- his sister Laura '07 and former classmate Graham Benton.
Kyle spoke to the 6th through 11th grade last June to tell them about some of his experiences in Africa both culturally and starting up a business. The company has since entered a business plan competition for social entrepreneurs and is looking to raise funds to start designing and building lamps and stoves to be used with the biogas. The three companies who raise the most funds automatically make it to the next round of the competition. For more information go to http://www.takamotobiogas.com/takamoto-biogas-newsletter-october-29-2011/ and http://www.brown.edu/about/brown-is-green/news/%5Bfield_news_date-yyyy%5D-%5Bfield_news_date-mm%5D/articles/alternative-energy-entrepreneur-kyle-schut.
Kyle, Laura and Graham say if you're ever in the area or know anyone who might be interested in interning with them, please send them an email at .
Devorah Fried, Class of 1998
I decided to have my children go to KWS because I believe in an education that teaches children how to think instead of what to think, an education that believes that the whole mind and body should be involved in the education process rather than children sitting behind desks as semi-inanimate objects being pummeled with academics all day, an education that utilizes a child's natural intellectual curiosity to guide their discovery of the academic world rather than using one formula that fails to take into account our childrens' different educational needs. I also decided to send my children based on the incontrovertible evidence that is my own: I spent 11 years at Kimberton (I left after 10th Grade for family reasons), and with only a 10th Grade education, I embarked on a BA from University of Pennsylvania 5 years later. Despite the 5 years hiatus from education and having only two years of high school, Kimberton fully prepared me for an Ivy League classroom, and after my first two semesters I had a 3.83 GPA (I graduated magna cum laude from University of Pennsylvania).
The education is exceeding my expectations. The teachers are attuned to my children, and every day my children are bounding with positive energy as they make their way to school. They love their classes, and come home singing songs and teaching me all the things they learned during the day. I could not be more happy to have my children at Kimberton.
Kathryn Minogue
Class of 2000, is studying Architecture Theory and History at Columbia University. One of her professors was so impressed with her work in his course this past year that he invited her to help him curate an exhibit at Columbia on the new Acropolis Museum in Athens, which opened October 24 at Columbia. Once a month she performs with a bluegrass band at a restaurant in Brooklyn. Kathryn’s classmate from Kimberton, Jennie Portney, is also currently at Columbia. Jennie is studying speech pathology.
Lydia Warner '99 (Brown University '04, UPENN '09)
I think that Waldorf education is beyond a doubt a unique experience and for me it was my life in its entirety. I don't think that I can separate who I am from what Waldorf education gave me. I have loads of fond memories from KWS: nature walks on Fridays, farm block in fourth grade, gnome home building, Norse myths, May Day, the Shakespeare play, chamber choir, the basketball tournament, the senior prank. I loved Mr. Dill's physiology blocks and credit them for my decision to major in biology in college. To this day, studying to be a nurse practitioner, I still make semi-Main Lesson books (definitely not as colorful, though). When I need to do multiplication in my head, I often envision the "Wizard" board Mr. LoDolce made for the times tables and still hold a little regret that I couldn't do all the times table backwards and make it to the Wizard level. In short, I loved school. Every day of it! And from what I can gather, that is a unique and rare thing and I think the greatest compliment I can give to my KWS experience.
Matt Innes ’07, at Kenyon College, is taking a semester working in Siberia. Matt is tutoring orphans and teaching them how to use computers and how to sew. To participate in this project, called the Peace Project, Matt wrote a proposal and received $10,000 to take several Kenyon College students to Russia. When Matt first arrived in the summer, the first thing he did was to visit the local Waldorf school where he loved meeting parents, faculty and students. Matt is devoted to our school and loves to encourage all of his friends to participate in the annual fund.
Rebeccah Levine graduated from Smith College in 2006 with honors. She now lives in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia. She is the Associate Registrar at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Center City. Now she is taking part in the museum’s major move and expansion project.
Mira Putnam, Class of 2009, is loving Rhode Island School of Design. She reports that there is a tremendous volume of work with studios from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm most days of the week. Often, students work in the studios into the evening and all weekend, too. Mira feels well-prepared and is managing the work load very well. She’s made friends quickly, and they spend much time together working on their projects. Mira feels that Kimberton prepared her well for Rhode Island School of Design, especially the wide exposure to many different aspects of art – 3D, 2D, handwork, woodwork, and the art intertwined into main lesson books. She greatly misses Mary Echlin as her teacher and shares that English on the college level is not near as challenging as it was in high school.
Taylor Fisher, Class of 2009, is at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, majoring in vocal performance. In the beginning of September, Taylor, along with 30 of her fellow students, prepared a performance for the Philly Fringe Festival. The students were given 48 hours to create a performance piece incorporating music, theatre, and dance, based on the theme of “dreams.” The piece was presented to the public the next day as part of the festival. On October 7 Taylor performed with various students in a Sondheim Review. She sang with three upper classmen in a four-part version of “Being Alive” from the musical, The Company. As a vocal performance major, Taylor is part of the 120-voice University Chorus. Taylor was one of 30 members of the Chorus selected to sing with the Philly Pops at the Kimmel Center for their Christmas series.