For twenty years Sierra Waldorf School (SWS) has been a major part of the community, and on Saturday, March 28th, students and faculty members are asking the community to join them at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds for their 13th annual Rites of Spring “Green” Auction. 

“We are promoting this year’s auction as our 20th anniversary, so it’s going to be an evening of celebration and also reflection of our last twenty years,” said Michelle Gratwick, auction coordinator and a parent of two children attending Sierra Waldorf. 

The auction is presented by Sierra Waldorf School with support from FoCuS (Foothill Collaborative for Sustainability.), and is themed as a ‘green’ auction to help promote sustainability.

“It is a very celebratory event and we are coming together as a community as well as collaborating with Mother Lode artists and FoCuS, bringing in their substance to sustainability for the event. Because it is a ‘green auction’ a lot of it is geared around collaborating for sustainable simplicity and a lot of our items came in around that theme. We had over 600 items procured and we have over 320 silent auction items, so there will be plenty of items for the silent auction and the live auction, which includes a 2009 Forester Subaru.” 

The Rites of Spring is the school’s biggest fundraiser each year, but this year it guarantees to be the best to date.

“It’s just this whole collaborative effort that is happening and because of that we feel like we will be able to have an event like no other,” said Michelle. “The school relies on fundraisers and tuition to maintain sustainability so this is a very important event for the school. We can range between $60-80,000 that we will earn for the school and we are hoping to achieve a goal that is substantially more than that so we can keep on growing.”

The event will also include local chefs featuring the best in organic and slow foods, wine tasting, martinis, live music with Swing Gitane and Alma Melodiosa, raffles, and the live auction and silent auction, featuring items that renew and sustain us towards a better way of living. 

“The auction also has a special tone to it because we are coming together to support a dear friend and teacher at the school, Judith Weldon,” said Michelle. “She is undergoing daily treatments at Stanford Medical Center and we had a fundraiser for her on Sunday, March 1. She was going to be the auction coordinator and then she got ill so I took her position. It’s a way of honoring and celebrating her and all of the faculty and teachers at the school.”

Sierra Waldorf School was established in 1989 by a dedicated group of parents and teachers who sought a high-quality learning environment for their children. After investigating various educational methods, they found Waldorf education to be relevant, effective, and time-proven, with over 75 years of successful application worldwide. The school is dedicated to cultivating the capacities of each child through a developmentally respectful education based on the work of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf Education. The school creates an environment that respects the individuality of each child, their higher spiritual nature and their connection to the world as a whole. 

Nestled in the beautiful Rawhide Valley, Sierra Waldorf School offers classes from kindergarten through eighth grade. In the center of the campus stands the historic 1875 Rawhide Schoolhouse, now used as a classroom and assembly hall. Judith, who was one of the founding parents of the school and a teacher for 16 years, remembers the history of the school at that property fondly.

“The school opened in the fall of 1989 with 34 students and 3 teachers: Bill Roberson in kindergarten, Stephanie Hughes taught 1st and 2nd graders, and Nancy Dumas the 3-5th graders,” wrote Judith in February. “The 34 to 36 students and their accompanying families all gathered out front of the Rawhide Building in celebration of our opening with landlords Bud and Tutti Wittman grinning from ear to ear.”

Because the school is an independent non-profit corporation licensed by the State of California, it is supported through tuition, grants, special events and donations and is dedicated to making Waldorf education Accessible-To-All.

“In our attempt to reach towards the ultimate goal of free for all we have experimented with scholarships and tiered tuition and adjustable tuitions and now have in place ATA which stands for Accessible-To-All,” said Judith. “One of the direct blessing of this ATA program is that our classes are larger and our teachers have a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds represented which makes for much more dynamic teaching.” 

This program is designed to draw more families to the school.

“When we feel and the family feels that they value this education, we don’t let the financial situation burden families from attending,” said Michelle. “The ATA program is designed so we can work with families who see the value of Sierra Waldorf education and feel like their children need to be there.”

Funds from the annual Rites of Spring Auction help cover costs for students who want to attend the school.

“The cause is worthy, the food is delish and the music is wonderful,” said Judith of the spring auction. “If you asked me why I thought you ought to support our little SWS, part of my answer would have to be because of who the young people have become who are out in the world now following their dreams and serving. Our vision statement ends with: “Within our children lies the hope of humanity.” I believe that and I believe that education allows the individual potential to unfold and that Waldorf education adds a particular magic to that process.”

In recognition of the school’s 20th year, tickets to the auction are just $20 until March 13th. After this date, tickets cost $33. The cost includes entrance to the auction as well as dinner catered by Celebration Catering. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the silent auction, music, raffle and dinner. The live auction closes at 9 p.m. with dancing to follow. Tickets can be purchased at Out of Hand in downtown Sonora, at the door the day of the event or by calling 984-0454. For more information about the school, the auction, or how you can donate to the school, call the office at 984-0454 or visit sierrawaldorf.com.