Middle School Regional Events

Regional Events for Grades 5-8!
Each spring, our upper grades participate in a variety of regional events with other Waldorf schools:

The Fifth graders recently attended the Greek Games, hosted by Eastside Community School in Issaquah.  The students worked hard all year learning how to throw the javelin in a beautiful and graceful arch, which requires great skill. They heard how the Greeks would write their odes to the gods on the discus and then throw them up into the sky as an offering.  With this image in mind, there is a reverence that they hold as they prepare to throw, and the children persevered to learn the correct spiral form as they sent the discus up into the sky.  They also competed individually in Greek wrestling where the focus is to hold the “golden ring” form within themselves the entire time.  The day concluded with a broad jump and a running relay where we saw the natural grace and beauty of the 5th graders as they ran their hearts out and cheered each other on among the new friendships that had formed.

The Sixth Grade traveled to Port Townsend for two days at Sunfield Waldorf School for the Medieval Games, completing team challenges that took not only strength but wit, teamwork, trust, logic, and a bit of trial and error.  We donned our medieval costumes for a banquet where we shared a meal and danced a Morris Sword Dance.  The second day we competed to see which shire would be the victor in target and trajectory archery, a hunter’s throw with javelins, a steeple relay race, trolley race, and tug-of-war.  All students are challenged in these games in one way or another, and are asked to meet these challenges, whether with bravery, a kind gesture, stepping forward as a helper or a friend, maintaining a positive attitude, or working together and supporting one another.   Friendships and bonds are formed that they will carry with them into the following years.

Finally, the 7th and 8th Grade attended the 22nd annual Regional Track and Field Meet hosted by Seattle Waldorf School.  This regional event gives students a peek into a new sport that they might be interested in for High School.  In the fall and spring we took field trips on the city bus to our local Civic Field Stadium to practice the long jump and high jump and experience running on a track.  Our students won 1st place in the running relay for 7th grade girls and boys divisions AND 8th grade girls and boys division ~ way to go WHWS!  It warmed my heart to see the middle schoolers cheering each other on and celebrating together.

These events are rites of passage that younger students can look forward to and which challenge our students to commit their head, heart, and hands to a rewarding and fulfilling community effort.

Annie Tabor

Movement Teacher