The Story
The Eugene Waldorf School is one of approximately 1,000 Waldorf schools, with locations worldwide. The community of the Eugene Waldorf School joins a global community of children, parents, teachers, and friends who have made a commitment to work toward social renewal through Waldorf education. Waldorf schools grew out of the philosophy of anthroposophy (anthropos: human, and sophia: wisdom), which was developed by Rudolf Steiner.
EWS Campus Photos
First Grade Classroom
Second Grade Outdoor Classroom
Cob Oven
Stage
Eurythmy Room
WTEE Building
Lower Field
Seventh Grade Classroom
Early Childhood Building
North Slope Playground
Blacktop and Gymnasium
Second Grade Classroom
Sunflower Preschool
Main Office and Grades 1-8 Building
The Setting
Eugene Waldorf is blessed with an exceptional balance between a beautiful natural environment and urban accessibility. Our school is located on five acres on a hill in South Eugene, in a residential neighborhood surrounded by many lovely trees. There are three playground areas, a large field and a smaller upper field as well. We have four buildings: the Main Building, the Gardenside Building, the Great Hall and the Art Studio. The original land was donated to the 4J school district by Stella Magladry, and a school was built in 1922. Eugene Waldorf School purchased the land and site several years later and the Stella Magladry school building, now the Main Building, serves as the hub of our school to this day.
The Main Building houses first through eighth grades, a kindergarten, our reception office and the schools administrative offices. The Gardenside Building houses three classrooms, the Rosebuds program (our parent-child education classes), the woodworking classroom, the middle school handwork room, and administrative offices. We also have a dedicated woodworking shop.. The Great Hall serves as a theater, gymnasium, and assembly hall. We also have a beautiful eurythmy studio attached to the Great Hall, with appropriate lighting and a dance studio floor. The new Art Studio was completed in 2005, providing a dedicated space for the Waldorf Teacher Education Eugene program, as well as the Arts Enrichment Project.
“The advent of the Waldorf schools was in my opinion the greatest contribution to world peace and understanding of the century.”
-Willy Brandt
The History
Like most Waldorf Schools, the Eugene Waldorf School began as a grassroots initiative. In 1976, several parents who wanted Waldorf education for their growing children began organizing lectures and workshops. They eventually brought a trained Waldorf teacher to town. This small school, then called the Cascade Valley School, opened its doors in 1980. As the school grew through the grades, a new building was built and the Dunn School on Willamette Street in southeast Eugene became our second home. In the summer of 1988 we moved to our present permanent
location, the Stella Magladry School on McLean Boulevard. In 1990, initially at the request of parents and community members, the teacher training program was started. In the summer of 1993 the high school building was erected and the high school operated from September 1993 until August 1996. In 1998 the building was renovated to house the Rainbow Bridge Parent Child groups, the Starflower Kindergarten, and in 2003, the Sunflower Kindergarten.