Julia is a senior at Maine Coast Waldorf School in New Gloucester, Maine.
Waldork Status: 15 years give or take.
Words of Waldorks: What does the morning verse make you think about?
Julia: In all honesty the words themselves don’t really make me think of anything. Usually if I pay to much attention to what I’m saying at all during the verse, I forget all the words. But I do look around the circle every once in a while and look at each person individually. I try to appreciate each person and I’ll maybe spot someone who I haven’t talked to in a while; then seek them out later in the day.
If you applied to college this year, what did you write your personal/ Common App essay about?
I wrote my personal essay about my family. I have three brothers, three dogs and two loving parents and I love them all very dearly. I also wrote about how I see my classmates as family.
Looking back, what advice would you tell your ninth grade self?
Have more confidence in yourself and trust others around you to appreciate you for who you are; it took me too long to realize that.
Fall/harvest/winter fair vs. Spring/May/Medieval fair… which is better?
I prefer the Fall Fair because of so many factors. I prefer the season of Fall to begin with, I also prefer the food that is served at the Fall Fair. I also find that people are more relaxed because the school year has started. Also at the Fall Fair, for some reason, more people who didn’t continue on to the high school from the middle school come and visit.
Foreign exchange? Where?
I went to Lyon, France for three months.
When did you feel the most pride during Waldorf High School?
During our One Act Competition performance in my junior year. I was so proud of how well we did and what we were able to achieve for such a small school with no large, crazy theater budget to pull from.
When did you feel the most challenged during Waldorf High School?
I felt most challenged during math classes in 10th grade. We were not studying a subject that I felt confident with and I struggled with the topic quite a bit. I had to try so much harder because it was not something that interested me and I was frustrated by how much I struggled with it. But in the end I think that it was really helpful for me to have to continue with something that challenged me so much.
What is one truth about life that you will hold as an adult that you were given or discovered at Waldorf school?
That real human connection and communication is all you need in life. No matter if you are seeking happiness or success or both, human interaction and people skills are always there. Whether it’s reaching out to a friend who is having a hard time, or conversing with a customer; being able to recognize human needs is something that I believe waldorf school has given me. Each person has a different way of showing these traits but whether they are forward or reserved about it I believe that every waldorf student has an impressive understanding of human connection and communication. This could come from the fact that since the classes are small and everyone is always together; if there are any problems or if you don’t like someone you have to work out. Another possibility is our rules on no phones at school and limited technology use. Because nothing encourages real face to face human interaction like taking away teenagers’ phones.
Fiona is a senior at Maine Coast Waldorf High School in New Gloucester, Maine.
Words of Waldorks 