The Austin Waldorf School hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 22 to celebrate the opening of new classrooms. (Courtesy Austin Waldorf School)
The Austin Waldorf School is expanding campus facilities for the first time in more than 20 years.
The new building holds an art classroom and a science and technology classroom, as well as new bathrooms.
“A building like this is much more than physical space,” Head of School Michelle Purghart said. “It is about creating an environment where children can grow and learn with curiosity, confidence, and joy.”
Site Committee Chair Branson Fustes (left), Head of School Michelle Purghart (middle) and board member Temaria Davis spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new building. (Sienna Wight/Community Impact)
The big picture
The Austin Waldorf School celebrated the new classrooms with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 22. The new building is the first permanent structure that has been added to the campus since 2002.
“It gives us [the] capacity to serve more students, to better support our teachers and to operate with more flexibility in how the school runs every day,” board member Temaria Davis said.
Austin Waldorf School's previous handwork art classroom. Art is a significant part of the school's curriculum. The school aims to nurture children's heads, hearts and hands. (Sienna Wight/Community Impact)
The new handwork art classroom was displayed with students' artwork during the celebration. (Sienna Wight/Community Impact)
Some context
Austin Waldorf School is the only fully accredited pre-K-12 Waldorf program in Texas, according to the school’s website. Waldorf education is developmentally informed, experiential and it integrates the arts in all academic disciplines, according to the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America.
The new classrooms support the school’s Master Plan, which outlines goals to prioritize outdoor spaces for new buildings and to grow the campus to support enrollment growth.
“The goal ... is to provide a Waldorf education to as many kids as we can,” Site Committee Chair Branson Fustes said at the ribbon cutting.
