juniper class

with Ms. Baugh
 

our seventh grade

The seventh-grade students will start the year with the basic laws of perspective drawing. This creative yet disciplined activity helps the children who are on the threshold of adolescence to develop a greater interest in the world and to metaphorically look beyond what is right in front of them.

During roll call, each student stands when his or her name is called and answers "I am here." It is beneficial to the student and their classmates to hear and see that each one is present. Standing upright and allowing oneself to be seen and heard has a strengthening effect on a person's sense of responsibility. This moment also gives the teacher a chance to gauge the mood and energy of each individual student.


juniper class teacher

SPENCER DIRATS
 
My name is Spencer Dirats, and I am the grade 8 teacher of the Aspen Class. I am also the Peer Tutoring coordinator and working on creating leadership opportunities for our middle school students.  
Prior to my arrival at WCS, I was a high school foreign languages and leadership teacher in the northeast. I came to Utah for the start of the 2017-2018 school year with the hopes of finding a school community that better aligned with my personal teaching philosophy and to dive deeper into the world of alpine ski racing - my other passion. I am ecstatic to report that I have found both. I cannot imagine any school being a better fit for me than WCS.
I am also a coach on the Brighton Ski Team, and that occupies most of my time outside school. When I'm not working with my students or my athletes, you can find me on the road in the wildest outdoor spaces that the West has to offer gathering fodder for lessons about environmental ethics and outdoor advocacy!


Waldorf philosophy does not provide a recipe for a certain lifestyle, but an opportunity to pursue a healthy and holistic development of one's capacities in harmony with one's social environment and with the natural world, and in congruence with one's own cultural background and spirituality.


—Heidrun Kubiessa, Yarrow Teacher