THE HILL SCHOOL (NEW ORLEANS)

'The Hill School' is a private school based on the Waldorf philosophy, educating the "Head, Heart and Hands" from Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Founded in 2000, The Hill School is located in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The school's curriculum is based on the philosophies of Rudolph Steiner who was a contemporary of Maria Montessori. Both Waldorf and Montessori sound similar on paper, but are actually opposites in some ways. Waldorf pays tribute to each developmental stage of childhood and protects the "fantasy stage" of early childhood above all (until the child is developmentally ready for academic learning), while Montesorri aims to pull children out of that fantasy and show them the ways of the real world. Waldorf educates the "Whole Child" and includes course work in Eurythmy, "Handwork" (i.e., knitting and sewing}, and music. It also incorporates an undercurrent of Anthroposophy.

Contents

History

School mission

School leadership

Photographs

Notable Waldorf alumni

External links

History

The Hill School was founded in 2000 by a small group of parents who felt Waldorf education was an imperative educational experience for their children. The school had been enjoying steady and healthy growth since its inception and had grown 50 students strong, but when Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005, the school was devastated. Not only was its location flooded and its student body scattered across the nation, but upon homecoming, enrollment deflated to only half what it was. Once again a group of steadfast parents decided to press on. They found a new location in the Irish Channel and reopened.
Today The Hill School is back on track, operations in full swing. It is a developing pending school with the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America(AWSNA). AWSNA was founded in 1979 to assist Waldorf schools and institutes in working together to nurture Waldorf Education so that it can manifest more widely in the world. In 2005, there were more than 170 affiliated schools and institutes on the North American continent.

School mission

The Hill School school puts the child at the center of all teaching by offering a curriculum that is tailored to the growing child's needs at each stage of development. Our Waldorf philosophy helps students to reach their potential by fostering a love of learning and by developing their intellectual, emotional, physical and moral capacities.

School leadership

The Hill School is led by a Board of Directors, which includes at least seven members, a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and a teachers' liaison among them. But the Waldorf philosophy puts much emphasis on teacher input, so the faculty is consulted on many things - both to keep teachers in tune with the goings on of the school and to ensure the Waldorf philosophy is always front and center in practice.
All teachers at The Hill School are either Waldorf-certified or are earning their certification.

Photographs

Notable Waldorf alumni

★ Jennifer Aniston, Actress

★ Sandra Bullock, Actress

★ Kenneth Chenault, Former President & CEO of American Express (1997-2001)

★ Timothy Daly, Actor

★ Michael Ende, Author: "The Neverending Story"

★ Rutger Hauer, Actor

★ Julianna Margulies, Actress

External links

★ The Hill School

★ The Hill School Online Store

★ Association of Waldorf Schools of North America

★ Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (WECAN)

★ Rudolph Steiner College

★ Anthroposophical Society in America

★ Eurythmy Association of North America