Kimberton Waldorf School

Education That Matters

Alumni

Vision Builder

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Alumni Spotlight Iona Bruckner ‘99, By Sarah Courtney Tudor ‘98 

Iona attended KWS from early childhood and graduated in the class of 1999. Always the artist, she was seen frequently with charcoal smudges on her fingers and her trademark paint brush or pointed sticks tying up her white-blond hair. “Free spirit” may have been a familiar descriptor, but she surprised many of her peers when she revealed her incredible focus and passion for the more buttoned-up title of “Architect” for her career. 

I had the privilege of attending high school and college with Iona where I saw her throw herself wholly into her passions. She was the first person that came to mind when I thought of doing an alumni spotlight for this month.  

Here’s a brief recap of what Iona’s been up to since KWS. She graduated with a B.A. in Architecture from Bennington and went on to receive her Masters of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. She then spent 2 and a half years as an Architecture Intern at the Philadelphia firm Re:Vision. From there, she went on to teach at Philadelphia University as an Adjunct Professor of Architecture, focusing on Sustainable Technologies in Architecture.  

Iona’s first big project was a dream job for her. She had always loved art spaces, having spent so much time at Bennington’s award-winning art space, VAPA (for Visual and Performing Arts) as a college student. She jumped at the chance to work at a new Performing Arts school with a big International Firm in Houston. The final project was 5 stories tall and a full city block in size, housing music, creative writing, and visual and performing arts. 

Projects these days are a bit more intimate for Iona. She is a busy mom of 2 young boys and she focuses her efforts on a small boutique firm of about 20-30 architects. She is still drawn to designing schools, theaters, art facilities, and churches. Her current project is a 3-story facility of studios with ceramics and digital arts.  

Iona is known for her concept sketches that resolve complex problems in unique ways. She attributes much of this out-of-the-box thinking to her time at Kimberton. “As Waldorf students, we were very used to considering the big picture, and, in many ways, Architecture is the ideal pursuit for a Waldorf student. You are quite adept at pre-visualizing solutions where nothing has existed before.” 

For example, on a recent project, she was presented with only a site map.  The main feature of the landscape was a hill. In this case, she had to pre-visualize which direction the building would face. Of all submissions, her model was chosen because of how the building interacts with the landscape. This is something 12th-grade classes consider in-depth during their History through Architecture block and on their trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Fallingwater.”

When asked about what she appreciates most when looking back at her school experience at KWS, Iona remarks how lucky we were to learn and exist in beautifully thought-out spaces where the human experience was considered and we could be surrounded by art and beauty.  She also values the big picture and interdisciplinary approaches to learning.  It’s no surprise that Iona often looks at larger social issues in her work through the lens of her art form. As a Community Designer, Iona facilitated discussions on Design Justice through Community Engagement and Social Justice through Community Design. She continues to look at her work from all angles and will be forever inspired by how people live, work, and interact with the spaces she designs. 

Studio RED Houston Architects specialize in Architectural, Interior Design, Sustainability & Planning services for Restaurants, Churches, Theaters and more

Interview with Jeremy Skaller

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Producer, songwriter, manager, entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed “Waldorf lifer” Jeremy Skaller ’90 (TWS) sat down with John Graham ’97 (KWS Alumni Association) for a conversation about artistic decisions, meaningful musical experiences, and why failing uphill is the only way to live. A piano player turned Producer,  Skaller started his songwriting career as a founding member of several bands. Later, he became a successful entrepreneur in the music industry as a co-founder of Orange Factory Music (OFM), the production team that brought Cash Money Records and Cultural Icon, the artist Jay Sean to the forefront of the global musical stage. OFM has also produced, remixed and/or written for many artists including Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Yoko Ono, and Fabulous. To date, as a Publisher, Producer, Manager, Writer and Label owner, Jeremy via his companies The Heavy Group and Orange Factory Music, has sold over 75 million records worldwide. 

In the mid-’70s to early ’80s Skaller attended Kimberton Waldorf School and then also attended Waldorf schools in Germany, Scotland, and Canada where he graduate from the Toronto Waldorf School in 1990. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Your career has so many layers, so many stages, it’s as if you’ve already lived multiple career lifetimes. How and when did you get a big break? 

You know it’s funny, it’s kind of the opposite. I never got a big break really, it was always more about failing and learning from each failure. I like the idea of “failing uphill” because I think that accurately describes my life and career. Each loss only fueled me with the energy to continue walking upwards, or taught me a valuable lesson, not to be repeated (hopefully)… in that way, each failed moment has moved me “Uphill.” 

I will say that working really hard allowed me to be in the right place at the right time. I remember having the opportunity to work with Yoko Ono in the early 2000s, and of course, she was such a legend, it was extremely intimidating to be working with her. But at the same time, I learned from that experience that I have something to offer that even legends need; I found my place. But I also learned a lot from the experience of being completely dirt poor in New York City, and having to choose whether to buy a bagel and walk to the studio or forego breakfast to instead buy a bus ticket across town. It was either/or in those days and there was no external pressure, it was just me against the city. I had to put pressure on myself to get better and be better.  I had very supportive parents of course as well, and they probably wouldn’t have let me starve…but I never REALLY told them how dire it got at times.

But success did come, and you have the resume to show for it! Tell me how you look at success. 

You know, I’ve worked with big artists, and I’ve helped them be “commercially” successful for sure. But success for me is about being creative and helping other people be creative. It’s about making a difference through creative-to-creative empathy. Let me give you an example. When I was shopping for Jay Sean, an Indian singer from England, all the major US labels could not or would not commit to the idea of an Asian Popstar. It was too unknown, too risky (in their estimation). He didn’t fit the profile of what they thought could work in America. But together, along with him, we pushed harder because we knew deeply that the stereotypes and racial biases. in the Music Industry needed to be challenged, and now was the time. There had to be some representation and Jay was the one to start it. We finally found the right Label for Jay Sean (Cash Money/Republic Records), and he blew up because of talent, determination, and lots up Failing uphill moments…just because the industry wasn’t ready, doesn’t mean that the market wasn’t!  There are always ground-breaking artists, and Jay Sean is one of them. Jay is the first South Asian (or Asian of any kind) to have a #1 Billboard single in America. 

Tell me about your own journey into music as a child.

My father is a piano player, and I started playing at a young age. I was pretty serious about it for a while. I also had incredible musical experiences at Kimberton, from Kimberton onwards. My class teacher Gerry LeDolce challenged me to expand my comfort zone, so instead of just playing the usual Recorder, I played piccolo and then Alto, and finally the Bass recorder with the class. He intuitively knew that he needed to push me or I would have been bored. His insight is not lost on me 40 years later. Mrs. Karp was the orchestra teacher, and she was just amazing. I have so many memories of her. One of the most impactful was when I was supposed to play the song “Wish upon a star” on the piano for class recitals. I wanted to jazz it up of course… I was always pushing.  But instead of any of the other responses that many teachers might have given, I remember Mrs. Karp just being joyful at my desire to be a little disruptive and hence, creative. “Do it differently,” she told me, “I’ll support you.”  It’s those kinds of early support moments that give Creatives like me the confidence to do what I do now. I felt completely safe exploring my creativity. She also told me at one point, you’re not a French Horn player, you need a Trumpet in your hands. And she was right! She knew music, and she knew her students.

I also had incredible music teachers at Kimberton that encouraged creativity! How about musical experiences in your later years?

There were so many. But a couple of teachers really stand out. In Toronto, David Willkenson was my homeroom teacher and he didn’t just encourage me to learn guitar, he wanted to jam with me. I think that was the first time I started to see myself as an artist, not just a player. That level of support absolutely helped me feel safe to start writing songs, which in turn led to me starting some bands (most of which didn’t do much) and then finally having an actual career with my band Belizbeha. (We toured for years sometimes doing upwards of 150 shows per year for many years in a row!)  Also, my choir teacher in Toronto, Dorothy Haller is just a phenomenal musician. I mean really world-class. Instead of letting me sing in the bass section (which is where I wanted to be), she put me in the tenor section where I really had to learn to use my upper range. This was another “failing uphill” moment because I was pretty terrible as a tenor at first,  But that switch forced me to develop a muscle that I would not have otherwise developed. Mrs. Haller also knew, long before many others that my talk about becoming a Lawyer was nonsense. She knew, even before I did, what journey I was about to embark on.  

What else in your Waldorf experience informs your decision-making today as a music industry insider? 

I am a Waldorf lifer. I attended Waldorf schools all around the world, finally graduating from The Toronto Waldorf School. My parents were quite engaged with Anthroposophy, so I also experienced something of an immersive home life in that world.  

An important idea (certainly not an original one) that I often share, is that ”Art informs Art.” By that, I mean that our experiences with other art, informs and amplifies the creativity in our own sphere.  At Kimberton, like all Steiner schools, we had these sorts of artistic experiences on a daily basis. Painting, Handwork, Sculpture… etc. All of these artistic pathways served to inform me of where my music would eventually end up taking me.  They also allow you to see things from different angles and perspectives. For example, I find that I am well informed when talking about visuals (music videos or photo shoots) because I understand color and composition. It’s just inside me now. It’s that cumulative exposure to all of these arts as a child that gives me a level of comfort across so many mediums. 

Recently, there was a memorial zoom-gathering for Helge Rudolf, one of the founders of the Toronto Waldorf School, and almost everyone who attended brought a piece of handwork that they had created with her. I was so moved by this. The arts have a legitimate and positive physiological effect on us, that in my case they have helped me to remain healthy, mindful, and constantly evolving as a musician and as a result, also as a person. 

Alumni Spotlight: Tobias Policha ’97

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I recently caught up with my classmate Tobias Policha (class of 1997), who shared some reflections on how his education at Kimberton has influenced his life. John Graham, for the Alumni Association

John Graham: Tobias, you’ve led a fascinating life since our time as students at Kimberton. Where to begin? You’re working as an educator of botany and ecological science, can you tell me about that?

Tobias Policha: Well, after finishing my PhD research on orchid pollination in Ecuador, I began teaching here at the University of Oregon several years ago and I’m still here! I’ve just been promoted, and this coming year looks to be my most busy because a number of courses that I proposed to teach were accepted, so now I actually have to do the hard work to create them! But I love the process, I find it is one of the most creative things I do, putting together all of the course material in ways that are engaging and educational even for non-biology majors.

J.G.: What courses do you teach, and who are your students?

T.P.: I teach everyone! I have large undergraduate general education courses, I teach in the general biology series, upper division majors courses, graduate courses. Here are some of the names of the courses: Introduction to Ecology; Systematic Botany, Neotropical Ecology, Field Botany, and Plants and Society.

J.G.: Fascinating, I would love to take some of these courses. You are also an avid promoter and educator in community gardening. Do you still offer public workshops or engage with communities outside of your busy university commitments?

T.P.: Well the pandemic has thrown a wrench in everything, right? But yes, I still help organize the local Wildflower Festival at the local arboretum. I have taught several botany workshops for them too. I give presentations to whoever wants them, natural history societies, science pubs…. I volunteer at my local natural area, ecological restoration, that kind of thing.

J.G.: You published an incredible book, Las Plantas de Mindo: A guide to the cloud forest of the Andean Choco. Are you still involved with Ecuador? 

T.P.: As a matter of fact, I am planning a study abroad program for students to Ecuador to study biodiversity and tropical ecology. I was also part of a team that won a grant from National Geographic a couple of years ago to do a biological diversity study in Reserva Los Cedros because the area was being illegally targeted by the Canadian mining company Cornerstone Resources. Our findings were so incontrovertible that it turned into several lawsuits. They worked their way up through the appellate courts and last year I had to dust off my Spanish language skills to testify as an expert witness in front of the Ecuadorian Supreme Court on the case. We actually just heard that we won, which is kind of unbelievable considering the various power players involved.

J.G.: That is incredible! After high school you were a serious environmental activist. Now you’re a science professor and getting a new look at how to protect biodiversity in the face of destructive commercial forces. Did some of these impulses come from your education at Kimberton?

T.P.: Ha! Well if you remember, I was some kind of rebel in high school. We had a whole culture of questioning authority, which in those days was misdirected at our faculty, but in truth was all about developing critical thinking skills and the capacity to question and observe reality. I credit my friends for supporting me in those years, but I also credit Waldorf pedagogy and the courses that we took in literature with Susan Neumann and Mary Echlin and Tom Dews for forcing us to question and think about deeper social questions. 

J.G.: What else reminds you of your Waldorf education?

T.P.: I’ll tell you something from yesterday. We were taking our four year old son on a hike, which turned into a really long five-hour hike around a lake. Of course this was an epic voyage for our little guy, but he did it! The motivating factor for him were stories. I realized that if he was listening and engaged in a story, then he could walk all day, so I started telling stories. At first I wondered if I knew enough stories. But then I just started doing the same thing that I do in the classroom, which is describing plants and their relationships to their environments. Of course I made it more accessible for a pre-schooler, but essentially I was describing the environment that we were walking through, embellishing a little here and there with cameo appearances from mice or salamanders or ants. You know as well as I do that in Waldorf school, we were constantly learning through stories. It’s a way of seeing the world. It’s what I do now full time in my professional life, and yesterday I realized, it is also a big part of the way that I relate to my son and his expanding world.

Tobias Policha is a senior instructor in the biology department of the University of Oregon, teaching plant science, ecology, and environmental sustainability courses. He attended Kimberton Waldorf School from 1992-1996, ultimately graduating from the Toronto Waldorf School. 

Alumni Spotlight: Strong Game

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Jamie DiGiacomo

Seventh grader Jamie DiGiacomo enjoys being outdoors, loves spending time with animals, and dreams someday being a zoologist. At age 7, she had the opportunity to experience archery for the first time at the Phoenixville YMCA.  The coach for the class was a Paralympian and was very focused on safety and proper form.  Right from day one, Jamie took very naturally to having a bow in her hand.

Age 7 First Archery Experience Hitting Gold

Each week, Jamie was the first to arrive and the last to leave.  Eventually, she got her own equipment, and her commitment really took off. Her style of archery is known as barebow. This involves a simple bow, arrow and minimal number of things attached to the bow’s riser.  Typically, it is the bow (string, riser, plunger, weight, and arrow rest) along with the arrows and the archer. That is it, no sight, no stabilizer, no other aiming aids.  It is up to the archer to put it in the gold! 

After the YMCA experience, Jamie joined a local JOAD club. JOAD is the Junior Olympic Archery Development program that helps archers work with coaches to advance their talents.  The program offers pins for achieving score thresholds.  At the club, archers get to experience indoor and outdoor formats.  Indoor barebow archers shoot 40 cm target faces at 18 meters that have 1-10 points available.  Outdoors, barebow archers shoot 120cm target faces and again have 1-10 points available.  However, the distances change outdoors. Under the age of 14, archers will shoot 30 meters and all other archers will shoot 50 meters. JOAD also promotes local and national completions. At the national level, USA Archery hosts country-wide contest. 

In additional to target outdoor and target indoor, there is an opportunity to shoot field tournaments.  Field tournaments are a bit like golf in the woods shooting target faces worth points that will get totaled.  Jamie probably enjoys field the most although they are not held as often as the indoor and outdoor target contests.

Outdoor Competition 2018, First Field Shot 25 Meter 2018, First Lancaster Archery Classic Champion 2019

One of the largest and highest profile tournaments on the East Coast is the Lancaster Archery Classic held typically in January.  At this tournament, over 2000 archers will compete in their respective classes (Olympic recurve, compound, barebow, traditional).  Jamie shot her first classic in January 2019 and won her first major tournament in her barebow female bowman class!

To be successful at archery it takes dedication, a good attitude, knowledgeable coaching and of course the support of friends and family.  Jamie has a very strong mental game as it is important to focus on form rather than hitting the gold (9s/10s). By concentrating on proper form, the higher scores will come.  Fast forwarding to 2021, Jamie has had the opportunity to shoot with world and national record holders, US Archery Olympians, and World Champions. Here in Pennsylvania, we have a very active archery community, especially the barebow class. 

Speaking of records, as of the time of this publication, Jamie currently holds 2 Lancaster Archery Classic first place finishes (2019, 2020), outdoor JOAD bronze, silver, and gold Olympian pins and 8 national barebow female records.  

With Olympian Mackenzie Brown, With her 2021 JOAD team member and fellow Barebow Gold Olympians at USA Indoor Archery Nationals, calling arrows at an outdoor competition in 2021

In closing, archery is an excellent sport for children to develop confidence, a calm mind, and get some exercise. With her continued dedication, training, and positive attitude, we, as her parents are very excited for her continued archery journey!

Alumni Spotlight: History Maker

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Theresa Thornton, KWS Class of 1981

A self-described problem solver, with a very creative edge, Theresa Thornton, Kimberton Farms School Class of 1981 is a woman of many passions and our alumni feature this month. Theresa is the CEO of her own Caregiver Encouragement business, Miss Kitty’s Care, and the Co-Founder of the Black Light Projects (BLP) a non-profit organization based in Phoenixville, PA. She is a change maker in her community, and it’s evident she has a huge heart for people. On the day of our chat, she was helping a friend with a flooded basement, which was not surprising to me that she was busy lending a hand. You get the sense right away that Theresa is someone who shows up and who knows how to make a difference. 

Black Light Projects 

Theresa has a passion for storytelling in all its forms. BLP focuses their work on the documentation of African American history makers, specifically in the Phoenixville area. They use research, data, records and local resources like the Public Library and Historical Society, as well as first hand accounts to piece together these inspiring stories. Her organization, BLP has developed Black History Educational programs for area schools like Phoenixville Area High School and Valley Forge College. These programs ask the tough questions, like “what stories were people told that they harbor such hatred?” The ultimate dream is for this method to serve as a model to inspire other organizations to rise up and become the record keepers and storytellers of the vibrant African American heritage and histories of their own towns and cities. 

BLP was established by Jay Winston, Co-Founder and Theresa Thornton, Co-Founder and President. Mourning the loss of Jay’s Best Friend, and Theresa’s Brother, Eric Thornton, these two long-time friends began thinking of ways to honor their loved ones along with the many other achievements of Phoenixville’s African American Community. They put a call out to their friends and family within the community presenting their idea and BLP was born. The name Black Light Projects is derived from this inspired light bulb moment. The light is to highlight the achievements of so many, and also to light the path for future history makers and high achievers. 

BLP partners with local organizations like Orion Communities for storefront Black History Exhibits, and other non-profits like Diversity in Action on events like Andre Thornton Day, a free community event held in Andre Thornton Park when BLP held its first ever Legacy award presentations and Senator Andy Dimmiman presented. You can find out more information about this year’s event here. 

It should come as no surprise that Theresa herself is a history maker. She happens to be the 1st African American from Phoenixville to graduate from Yale University. She received her BA from Yale in 1985. She became determined to make Yale her choice as a 9th grader when someone asked her where she would go to college. When she said  “I don’t know…maybe Yale” and the response was “You’ll never get into Yale,” from that point on, Yale became her only choice!

Theresa attended KFS at a time when the school was looking to diversify. In Theresa’s words, “Kimberton staff who influenced me,  Ed Stone – his class on public speaking and his overall kind demeanor still lives on in me, Richard Turner – because he really pushed my overall creativity especially when it came to computer science (which I loved).  That in turn gave me a sense of fearlessness when approaching new technology to this day.  And Ed Matthews – as my guidance counselor at the time, he was impressed that I wanted to attend Yale and even more impressed that it was the only college to which I wanted to apply.  He immediately embraced my decision and helped me apply to Yale’s early admission program.

Attending Kimberton Farms School was not my decision.  Kimberton was looking for more diversification.  Someone reached out to the late Don Coppedge (a prestigious man in the Phoenixville community who happened to be my mentor).  Don contacted my parents and the next thing I knew I was transferring to Kimberton. I did not want to attend because it took me away from all of my friends, it was all white, it didn’t have a marching band and we had to wear dresses!  I was not a happy girl. But I met one of my classmates Sally Umble Lipkowitcz.  Because Sally’s Mom was a teacher at Kimberton,  Sally had come through the entire Waldorf system.  She shared insights which helped me understand the “block system” and main lessons, etc. which was completely foreign to me.   Unknown to my classmates or anyone at Kimberton, I cried in my room every night when I came home from school my sophomore year. I could not let my Mom know because I didn’t want to disappoint her.  But Sally made me feel comfortable in that new, potentially hostile, environment.  Sally and I are still great friends to this day.

The Stories

“One can not erase 400 years of oppression but we can work-now together-to make sure America is home to equity, dignity and justice for everyone.” Curtis Hill

Here are just a few of the stories that BLP has compiled. 

Richard J. Coppedge has a fascinating story. As a student at PASD he was the only African American member of the marching band and his talents shone. He felt very much a part of the group and was affectionately called “hot lips.” The American Legion gave him a trumpet and it was an honor for him. Richard was the first African American in Phoenixville to be allowed to play Taps at Veterans services in 1948 during segregation. He fondly remembers being treated respectfully during that time. He later went on to become the first black police officer in Phoenixville but later the condescension of his Chief led to his choice to resign. He was a pioneer in the community that paved the way for others to stand out from the crowd.

Booker T. Barr, Jr. was the first Black Drum Major, in the PAHS Marching Band. His charismatic talents as Featured Twirler and his great determination and talent led him to overcome prejudice on and off the field against his race and sexual preferences to later become the Leader of the Band as a senior.

By placing these kinds of stories at the forefront, BLP is able to welcome new minorities to the area and give them a sense of collective history and hope. They believe that to highlight the accomplishments of those who aren’t the majority fosters a well respected African American community. This is so the next generation can see what’s possible. 

Shira Thornton, a member of the board of BLP, mentions that as she grew up before the internet was what it is now and this idea of stories being passed down stuck with her as being so vital. As stories die out and the oral tradition fades, there is a greater need to preserve these precious local histories. In this way, and in so many others, the work BLP is doing is essential. 

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

How Can We Help?

Black Light Projects is a 501(c) (3) Organization

Volunteers are always welcome. Compiling the stories of History Makers is no easy task. The organization is always in need of volunteers for the following: 

  • Research 
  • Data Collection
  • Setup for Events
  • Specialized Services (skills in videography, photography, writing, etc.)

Donations are welcome to create Exhibition items, maintain equipment, and sponsor events. 

For more information go to:

BLPPhoenixville.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BlackLightProjects/

Class of 2020 College Acceptances

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The Class of 2020 has had wonderful college news arriving in mailboxes and inboxes! We are so proud of them.

A list of all acceptances to date follows. A number of students applied Early Decision and so were admitted to their top choice and did not apply elsewhere. Seniors had until June 1 to commit to the college of their choice. Some students are still considering a gap year, a national trend. They received nearly $600,000 in merit awards per year. Congratulations to our accomplished seniors!

  • Arcadia University
  • Arizona State University
  • Bard College
  • Bard College Berlin (*Gabriel M-Z)
  • Beloit College
  • Berklee School of Music *(Nate B)
  • Ohio University
  • Berry College
  • Christopher Newport University
  • Clark University (*Justin Z)
  • College of Charleston
  • College of the Atlantic (gap year) (*Isabel D)
  • College of Wooster
  • Connecticut College
  • Drexel University
  • Earlham College (*Ellie S)
  • Lawrence University
  • Edinboro University (*Hannah L)
  • Elon University
  • Guilford College
  • Ithaca College
  • Juniata College
  • Kalamazoo College
  • Klein School of Communications/Temple University
  • McDaniel College *(Monte P)
  • Millersville University
  • New England Conservatory (*Anna D)
  • New York Film Academy (LA Campus)
  • New York University (*Lillie L)
  • Slippery Rock University
  • Syracuse University
  • Temple University
  • Temple University (College of Public Health Athletic Training BA/MS program) (*Clara A)
  • Union College (*Isabella J)
  • University of Harford
  • University of Pennsylvania (*Safaya S)
  • University of Pittsburg
  • University of Pittsburgh (Swanson School of Engineering) (*Jason W)
  • University of Pittsburgh, Bradford
  • University of Pittsgurgh, Johnstown
  • University of Tennessee (*Russell H)
  • Ursinus College (*James Mc)
  • Wagner College
  • West Chester University

Class of 2019 College Acceptances

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Visit Kimberton Waldorf School

Wonderful college news has been arriving in mailboxes and inboxes! Congratulations to our accomplished seniors!

Tony Bian
College of Wooster
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Penn State
University of Illinois Urbana-Champlian
University of Pittsburgh
Temple University
Purdue University

Teagh Conway
Quinnipiac University
Temple University
Saint Joseph’s University
Susquehanna University

Saicharan Dandu
University of Pittsburgh
Temple University
Drexel University
Penn State Brandywine

Cody Ding
Penn State
University of Pittsburgh
Ohio State University
University of California Irvine

Alexa Hinkle
Drew University

Malia Homberg
TSP Academy

Dahlia Warwick
Prescott College
Green Mountain College
College of the Atlantic
Bard College
Warren Wilson College

Jake Wilson
Virginia Military Institute
Valley Forge Military Academy
West Chester University

Hadlee Wolfram
Ursinus College
Norwich University
Virginia Military Institution

Kimberton Farms School Song

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Kimberton Farms School song

In October of 1941, Kimberton Farms School was founded by Mrs. Virginia Birdsall and Mrs. Elisabeth Grunelius, and others.  Mrs. Birdsall describes this as follows:

“Kimberton Farms Day and Boarding School for Boys and Girls was opened in October, 1941 by Mr. Myrin.  During the preceding year he had enlarged and remodeled one of the old Dutch farmhouses on his property to serve as a schoolhouse and home for the teachers and resident pupils.  In the spacious fields and pastures of Kimberton Farms the Bio-Dynamic methods of farming originated by Dr. Steiner were being developed on a large scale.  A group of young men and women interested in this natural, organic method of cultivating the soil were living in a large farmhouse on the property.   What more fitting home could be found in which little children could live and learn according to the new art of education which was one of Dr. Steiner’s many gifts to humanity!”

Kimberton Farms School graduates became known as balanced, possessing a sense of humor, a wide sense of leadership, and that they were often the most outstanding scholars.

 During a recent Alumni weekend where a plaque was dedicated to a beloved teacher, Ed Stone, alumni came together to sing the Kimberton Farms School song.  It was a very moving moment.

Gabriel Hughes ’13

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KWS Alumnus Gabriel Hughes ’13,  created a video about his senior project for Prescott College which combines ecopsychology, deep ecology, natural history, and the wonders of the natural world to nurture care for ourselves, each other, and the environment. Gabriel says, “Through learning to love our true home more deeply, we foster ecological literacy, stewardship, and critical thinking skills that are critical at this time on Earth.”

Watch on YouTube

Jharna Jahnavi ’15 in the news

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Jharna Jahnavi, a Kimberton Waldorf 2015 graduate, spent the summer working as a clinical research intern at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a direct extension of her academic interests and another step on her path to a career in medicine.  The pre-med biology major, who also minors in neuroscience and health studies at Haverford College has a deep interest in neuroscience and brain development.

Her interdisciplinary work has allowed her to work with neurologists, neurosurgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons, and other healthcare professionals, post-doc physicists, computer scientists, medical students, and other undergraduates.  Jahnavi’s coursework at Haverford encompasses departments not just across the sciences, but also across the liberal arts, and she finds the lab environment to be similarly multifaceted.


Read the full article about Jharna on Haverford College’s website here.

Alumni Spotlight: Eva Jaunzemis ’11

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When Eva Jaunzemis graduated from KWS in 2011, she was well equipped to pursue a passion for costume design at Parsons School of Design in New York City.

 What I took with me from Waldorf to Parsons was a strong ability to creatively solve problems, and be able to do it just as easily in wood as in yarn, pen and paper, or spatially with my body,” she said.

Now at age 23 and living in Brooklyn, New York, after graduating from Parsons last year, Jaunzemis was most recently engaged in a professional endeavor that combined a variety of artistic mediums. The experimental production called the Loon, by the dance/theater company Witness Relocation, has been gratifying to Jaunzemis on many levels.

“Making the Loon, being able to simultaneously make great dances and then go home and make some of my most favorite costumes, was a bit of a dream come true,” she said.  “I’ve been doing professional costume work since I was a junior in college, but this was the first production that I’ve gotten to work in unison with my two most fulfilling passions.”

Kimberton Star: Do you feel that any aspect of your Waldorf education influenced your professional direction?

Evan Jaunzemis: Being able to create and work in an artistically interdisciplinary manner, was definitely strengthened during my time at Kimberton and is how my professional career operates. The Waldorf approach to a given subject, being able to look at a topic from multiple perspectives and explore through a variety of artistic mediums, has become more than extremely valuable to the way I work, but inherent to it.  I do my best work when I’m not only involved as a dancer or performer in a piece, but also as a creative member of the production team. It’s quite similar to how main lesson assignments are structured- to not only have to write poetry or essays on the subject, but also make a painting or sculpture to delve as deep as possible into the topic and find your own connection to it. Working in so many different mediums while at Waldorf also has influenced me greatly. Not only did I have an array of experience and skills going into college, but curiosity and confidence to explore new techniques and disciplines before fully knowing how I would apply or combine them.

Kimberton Star: What was your role with the Loon and what is the look you went for from a costume design perspective?

Eva Jaunzemis: My professional roles in the Loon are as performer with the company, called Witness Relocation, and as Costume Designer. So, I was in charge of all design and construction of the costumes for nine performers, dancers/actors, as well as performing and being a member of the collaborative choreographing process. The concept of the show started from a record called “Voices of the Loon,” a record the Audubon Society released in 1980. From there, layers of influence from sociologist Erving Goffman and the creation of the Western home, and Bill Bryson’s work studying domestic life came in. That all was then framed narratively with some personal relationships, and a gentle arc of a party over the course of the night. That led me to start designing costumes that were somewhat reflective, and then enhanced, versions of what each dancer would wear to a party, with a bit of a creature/bird influence and glam-rock aesthetic. The show has a very real, emotional grounding for a lot of the creative team, including the company members. So, I chose to stick to a palette that reflected the emotional nature of the show, which ended up being a lot of black and grey, with touches of dark green and blue. The complexity of the designs came with the collaging of textures on the body, as well as layers of clothing.

Kimberton Star: What attracted you to costume design?

Kim Jaunzemis: I grew up as a performer, started dancing around age two, and was always in the choir and musicals at school. I also grew up making a lot of art. It just made sense at a very early age to be involved in both worlds. As both a dancer and a maker, I am extremely interested in the body. I am fascinated with how it works and what I can do with it, but also how our environment and what we put on it affects us not only physically but emotionally and psychologically. The shaping of identity through clothing and style has always been a huge subject of study and exploration for me. I think being able to play with that, and make clothes for all different identities on stage and in films is how I stay curious.

Kimberton Star: How do you feel your Waldorf education shaped you and had an impact on the person you are today?

Eva Jaunzemis: I think a lot of how Waldorf influenced me was creatively, as I described earlier. But, I would stress again that Waldorf gave me the ability to see possibility- especially the possibility to do more than one thing at a time in a harmonious and productive way. When I got to college I was shocked to find myself amongst students who could only work in one specific way, and couldn’t think creatively in any medium or format than the one they were used to. And it held them back when it came to design challenges. Your time at Waldorf gives you so much room to explore, as well as honestly, a whole lot of work, that you leave having learned an incredible amount about yourself. Waldorf made me a hard worker, a self-starter, a risk taker, and fairly self-assured teenage artist. Of course I did a whole lot more exploring artistically and directionally with my career in college, but I kept hold to an incredibly solid foundation that undeniably was the result of my education at Kimberton.

By Courtney Diener-Stokes

Alumni Spotlight: Molly Brett Brown ’00

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Our parent-child classes are led by alumnae, Molly Brown Brett ’00. Molly has been fascinated with education her entire life. Growing up, she attended schools of varying philosophies and her interest grew. During high school, her curiosity and study birthed a 30-page research paper comparing Waldorf Education to other methods. Because of this experience, she decided to transfer to Kimberton Waldorf School, from which she graduated in 2000. Molly’s love for Waldorf Education continued to grow. She taught summer camp at Kimberton Waldorf School and worked at Beaver Run Camphill Special School for five years. She began at Beaver Run as a teacher’s aide and over the years took on more responsibility, teaching electives and substituting. Molly volunteered at the Bangkok Waldorf School while backpacking in SE Asia. Following her love for travel and adventure, Molly and her husband moved south to the Blue Ridge Mountains. There, Molly taught yoga and pilates and began to devote time to educating parents on the wonders of Waldorf philosophy by creating study groups and holding festivals. Soon other opportunities called her family further south to Asheville, NC. Molly spent a year as the parent-child teacher at Azalea Mountain School before returning home to PA. She has been assisting here in early childhood since her return. She is also passionate about yoga and pilates, which influence her daily routines both inside and outside of the classroom.

Alumni Spotlight: Julia Chalfin ’00

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Julia Chalfin ’00, Kimberton Waldorf School alum, Chester County native, classically trained singer, and international performer, returns to Phoenixville on Sunday, June 21 for a one night concert at the Colonial Theatre!

Julia Chalfin is a dynamic singer and entertainer who has written, produced and performed original shows bridging the genres of opera and cabaret, making them more accessible and inviting to the audience. Julia discovered her love for music and the spotlight in Kimberton and followed her passion to Munich, Germany. She is looking forward to giving back to the community where she grew up. Julia is joined on stage by Cory O’Neill Walker who is a diverse performer, composer and designer and Dr. Matthew Brower a collaborative pianist and educator – both of whom create music in a variety of styles.

We are excited to have these incredibly talented and entertaining individuals perform here in Phoenixville. This event is a fundraiser for local nonprofit organization Orion Communities.

Doors open at 6:00 pm. Show time is 7:00 pm.

Reserve your tickets online at www.OrionCommunities.org/concert-tickets.
Questions? Please contact info@OrionCommunities.org or 610-415-1140.