1. education
2. school

A M A G A Z I N E F O R FA M I LY, F R I E N D S , A N D S U P P O R T E R S O F C A M P H I L L S P E C I A L S C H O O L
REFLECTIONS
SPRING+ SUMMER 2015
THE
PATH
TO
REACH
THEM
p. 8
VOLUNTEER
SPOTLIGHT:
GUY DIANA
p. 12
A PEEK AT OUR
NEW WEBSITE
p. 13
AN ENCHANTED
EVENING GALA
p. 14
EDITOR’S LETTER
Harris visits a new friend
at Beaver Farm.
You cannot predict the outcome
of human development. All you can do is,
like a farmer, create the conditions under
which it will begin to flourish.
CONTENTS
— Ken Robinson
COVER STORY
8 The Path to Reach Them
FEATURES
4 The Art of Living
6 A Holistic View of Early Childhood
12 VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Guy Diana
CAMPHILL UPDATES
10 If Your Business Pays PA Taxes,
Camphill Students Can Reap
The Benefits
REFLECTIONS
13 A Peek at Our New Website
16 The Beaver Run Foundation
18 Unfolding their Futures:
Construction Begins
14 EVENTS/HAPPENINGS
The 2015 Camphill ProAm
KINDERGARTEN
20 Meadowsweet Is Blooming
22 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
We Will Be Their Voices
2
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
EDITOR
2014–2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Courtney Coffman
Craig L. Adams, President
Tom Rosendale, Treasurer
Claus Sproll, Secretary
Sonja Adams
Berta Aldrich Guy Alma
Gregory P. Ambrose
John Fish
Brent Franklin
Lynn Garner
Jan Christopher Goeschel, Ph.D.
CONTRIBUTORS
Guy Alma
Jan Christopher Goeschel
Lucy Paterson
Tovit Sachner
Libby Sanders
Cara Schmidt
Valerie Thomas
William C. Herman, Esq.
Amy P. McHugh
Jennifer Nilsen
Sarah Schreck
Bernard Wolf
EMERITI
Manfred Maier
Ursel Pietzner
Raymond Ripper
S
INCE HE WAS BORN four and a half years ago, I have looked at my son and
wondered what he would be like when he grew older. When he was an infant
I contemplated what his voice would sound like when he spoke his first word
(“book” never sounded so amazing), if he would ever grow hair on his head
(it happened eventually), and whether or not he would be a picky eater (he
eats everything). Now I think about what kind of friend he will be to other
children his age and if he will be as helpful to littler children as he is now. I hope that the
experiences he is being provided with by me, his dad, family, and friends — his village —
make him a gentle, strong, open-minded, and accepting person. Time will tell.
We cannot predict who or what our children will be, but we, and the village with which
we surround them, can do our best to prepare them for what lies ahead. We can encourage
patience, respect, eagerness to learn, wonder for nature, and empathy for others. We can
teach them to treat others as they wish to be treated. We can offer them ourselves as examples and hope they take the best of us with them. Through this encouragement, teaching,
and offering we shape our children so that they can meaningfully contribute to their community and the world.
It is a vast investment of time, worry, patience, and even tears, but has the greatest return.
Courtney Coffman, Editor
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
3
FEATURE
Housemother Sarah with daughter
Thea Grace and student Dylan.
The Art W
of Living
HEN WE GO OUT
INTO THE WORLD
we take on the role of our
profession — a teacher,
a chef, a manager — and
in this way we specialize. Our encounters with others are, in large part,
shaped by these roles. When we leave the work
world at the end of the day or during our “time off,”
we let something go as we cross the threshold of our
front doors. Letting go of these roles, we no longer
define ourselves by what we do.
“Out there,” in the world, you may be a teacher
or a cook or a manager, but “in here,” in the
home, you are simply and completely a person:
one who teaches, who cooks, who manages. You
are a person who lives. On one hand, when we
enter the home we retreat from the world and we
BY LIBBY SANDERS
4
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
pull ourselves in. On the other, we expand,
leaving behind our one, narrow role in the
world in order to take up the work of the
entire human person. That is the art of living.
What is the “role” of the homemaker?
We cannot say because every type of work
happens in the home, and the homemaker
must be a master of every craft. They nurture, cook, and manage accounts, of course.
But they need not be a teacher and chef and
manager. The role is, rather, to make possible this space for the art of living.
Our homes in the village and at Beaver
Farm vary, coming in all shapes and sizes,
all colors and tones. One child may love
to paint or need a chair that sits lower to
the ground. A coworker may aspire to play
piano or need a cup (or three) of coffee
and gifts every day. Learning this art is a
right after lunch, without fail. Some of us
privilege, and slowly — day by day, laundry
enjoy relaxing with others, and some may
basket by laundry basket — I am learning
need time and space to reflect in solitude.
more than a set of marketable skills. I am
We all need clothes that keep us warm,
learning not only how to live, but how to live
rooms where we can breathe, and meals
together.
that will nourish us.
The homemaker makes space for these
manifold needs, gifts, and strivings. In this
regard they never work alone. Making space
is always making space together, therefore no two homes are ever the same: The
people — the real, individual, and entire
persons — who live and work together give
the home its personality by developing their
own. The role of the homemaker is to make
space for these emerging personalities to
grow and live in harmony.
I am a novice in the world of homemaking. Perhaps the only reason I could write
these words, rather than someone more
experienced, is that real homemakers are
Kylie, who plays Hermia in the 8th grade
simply too busy! I am certainly not, and
play, gets some help with her lines from
you’d be hard-pressed to find any homehousemother Sarah and Thea Grace.
maker (experienced or not) who would
claim to be, a “master” of their art. How
is someone supposed to be a professional
human being, a specialist in generalities?
As far as balance and harmony go, well, I’m
more prone to stumbling and singing offkey. And yet, for someone as scattered as
I am, learning the task of homemaking is
a healing experience.
Homemaking requires one to have a
broad view, taking into account all aspects
of human life — body, soul, and spirit. But
we cannot do this in broad strokes. Dust
builds up behind cupboards, cobwebs creep
into corners, and we perpetually search for
that one missing sock. Despite a closet overflowing with bed linens, there never seems
to be a sheet that fits when needed.
Matt contributes to his Silver
This devotion to the small thing, and the
Maple house community.
humility necessary to get down on your
knees and scrub jam
Woodledge joins in a song
out of creaky floorboards, is the gesture of before lunch.
homemaking. Here, the
entire human person
lives, from the heights
of our ideals and strivings to the depths of
our messy eating habits
and crankiness before
eight in the morning. It
is a healing art; it makes
the art of living possible
and requires that we
recognize and support
one another’s needs
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
5
FEATURE
E
Art by teacher Becky Rutherford
A Holistic View of
Early Childhood
BY JAN CHRISTOPHER GOESCHEL,PH.D., DIRECTOR OF CAMPHILL ACADEMY
6
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
ARLY CHILDHOOD —
discomfort — are much stronger than those
the first years of life, from
of the outer environment of sight, and sound.
birth until the beginning of
In the course of the first year, the child’s
the change of teeth around
chaotic and reflex-driven movement
age six or seven — marks a
becomes integrated from the head down,
period of growth and develuntil the child is able to stand upright and
opment like no other. Four months after
walk independently. As the child takes hold
birth, children have typically doubled their of his or her movement and finds a relabody weight. Then, it is doubled again at
tionship to the forces of gravity, the sensory
age three and age nine. The child is litworld outside the body opens up more and
erally building his or her physical body
more. The child takes in everything he or she
out of the substances of the surrounding
sees, hears, smells, tastes, touches, and feels.
world. The child is taking in the world and This is the other side of the nourishment
making it a part of his or her own, thus
needed to build up the body: the nourishlaying the foundations for his or her activ- ment of the senses that guides the child’s
ity in the world during the rest of life.
activity in the world.
For this building process, it is not enough
Through imitation — at first immediate,
to simply take in good and healthy nutrithen ever more sophisticated — young chiltion. As the child’s organs mature, there
dren embody what they experience around
is an intricate architecture that is being
them. And in embodying those experiences
developed — and nowhere more so than
and activities, they work on building and
in the child’s central nervous system. From forming the organs of their own bodies. So it
a relatively undifferentiated organ at birth,
is the sensory environment and the experithe brain and its associated organ systems
ences it offers — of rocks, plants, and animals,
evolve into a sophisticated
of people and what they do, and
instrument that is able to supof the activities that the child is
port the child’s consciousness
invited to participate in — that
THERE IS NEVER
to the point where, around
provide the blueprint for the
A TIME WHEN
the age of six or seven, the
child’s construction of his or her
child becomes able to sustain
EDUCATION CAN
own body, of his or her brain and
an independent inner life
nervous system. Those, then, are
WORK AS DEEPLY
of fantasy, imagination, and
the all-important factors in early
INTO THE
mental pictures. With this, the
childhood education: the condiCONSTITUTION
prerequisites for all further
tions that allow for the healthy
OF THE GROWING
cognitive development are
maturing of the child’s growing
established.
physical organism.
CHILD AS IN THE
Where does the child find
Whether that process
EARLY YEARS. the blueprint for this develappears smooth and effortoping neurological architecture? It finds
less, or beset with bumps and roadblocks,
it in sensory experience. The developthere is never a time when education can
ment of the central nervous system takes
work as deeply into the constitution of the
place under the formative influence of the
growing child as in the early years. By being
child’s sensory environment. Before birth,
included and bathed in the atmosphere of
the child is not yet directly exposed to this
playful activity created by their peers, those
environment. The mother’s body medichildren who face more significant chalates any sense impressions that do penelenges in integrating their sensory capactrate. Also, there is not yet any differentiities, developing their motor capacities,
ated experience of the body itself. Before
and establishing themselves as actors in
birth, it is suspended in liquid, in a mufthe social world can participate in experifled, body-temperature environment, with
ences that would otherwise be unavailable.
very limited possibilities for movement.
And those children who find this proAt birth, all of this changes radically: The
cess easier and more straightforward can
child now begins to experience his or her
practice perceptiveness for other human
body as separate from the rest of the world. beings that lay the foundation for enhanced
Through the awakening sense of touch, an
future capacities of social awareness. This
ever clearer experience of the boundaries
inclusive approach to early childhood eduof the body comes about. At first, percepcation is the mission and purpose of the
tions of the well-being of the body itself —
Meadowsweet Early Childhood Center at
experiences of hunger, pain, comfort, and
Camphill Special School.
Bobby and Eva
Antonio and Meg
Josh and Kennedy
Ellie takes a walk with an aide.
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
7
COVER STORY
THE
PATH TO
REACH
THEM
Coworker Renna, Jack, and teacher Ginny
Tovit, Ella, and Ginny
Tovit Stephnaie, and Ginny
BY TOVIT SACHNER,
CAMPHILL ACADEMY STUDENT
Ginny and Jasmine
Kindergartener Dylan sits with Tovit.
E
VERY MORNING I QUIETLY
WALK into the children’s rooms
to help them welcome the day.
I search for their little bodies
sleeping in their big beds under
their warm covers. A foot dangles off the bed; a lock of hair peeks from
under the blankets. The children are sleeping; their breath is slow and their bodies are
still. As I slowly wake them up with a soft
morning song, I observe their gradual journey back from the night’s sleep. Each one of
them is a mystery. Each one of them holds
a personal and enigmatic map (enigmatic
for them as it is for me) showing the path
to reach them. As a student in the Curative
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
Education Program at Camphill Academy,
my task is to try and figure out this map and
help the children meet the world and find
their essential place in it.
My academic studies give me the knowledge
and background to build a diagnostic picture
of the children. My studies also give me concrete tools for the everyday life, which builds
up for them a therapeutic environment. I learn
music including how to play the lyre so that I
can settle the children with the tones that will
send them to a good night’s sleep. I study the
deep meaning behind our festival life so I can
accompany them with the right mood of soul,
helping them to carry it, even if my own personal background is utterly different. Learning
and understanding the meaning of rhythm
and its healing power helps me to strongly
maintain this rhythm for the children.
In my daily home life, I experience with the
children the warmth of the communal life. We
laugh together; we cuddle and sing; we take in
the beauty of nature together; we eat together;
and we do our daily chores
together. We are mutually
responsible for our home
and one another. Each member of the house community, from the very
youngest to the oldest, has a significant role
in the home.
The students in my care are among the
youngest in the village. This holds within it the
privilege of working with the forces of time, the
forces of the future. As I see them slowly and
delicately unfold their social skills and abilities, and bravely overcome their difficulties, I
am filled with anticipation and hope for their
unique futures.
In those early-morning hours, as they struggle to open their sleepy eyes to meet the new
day, I truly see them. I see all that they are,
what lies behind their eyes, hidden from the
world. I hold for them in my heart the image
of all that they can become. I see them walk
bravely on the earth, leaving their special and
precious prints as gifts for us all. I find healing
and personal growth in our life together. Their
primal need is for me, as their caregiver and a
human being, to better myself. And for that I
am grateful.
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
9
IF YOUR BUSINESS
PAYS PA TAXES,
CAMPHILL STUDENTS
CAN REAP THE
BENEFITS!
8th-grader McKayla takes
an anatomy lesson.
The EITC (Educational Improvement Tax Credit)
Program enables Pennsylvania businesses to
directly invest in the education of our children
through scholarships. The application process is
simple, and the benefits to our students and their
families are transformational.
THANK YOU!
Special thanks to the
following businesses for
contributing to our EITC
program.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR EITC?
IMPORTANT DATES
MAY
15
MAY
Businesses who are in the middle of
their 2-year commitment need to
complete an application.
JULY
Businesses new to the EITC program
may apply.
15
Any business authorized to do business in
Pennsylvania that is subject to one or more of the
following taxes: Personal Income Tax of S Corp
shareholders or partners in a general or limited
partnership, Corporate Net Income Tax, Bank &
Trust Company Shares Tax, Insurance Premiums
Tax, Capital Stock Franchise Tax, Title Insurance
Company Shares Tax, Mutual Thrift Institutions Tax.
Business applicants who have fulfilled
their 2-year commitment and wish
to reapply in 2015–2016 to renew their
2-year commitment.
1
Joseph enjoys
a book during
rest hour.
HOW DOES EITC BENEFIT MY BUSINESS?
Eligible businesses can receive a tax credit equal to
75% of their contribution to Camphill Special School.
This credit increases to 90% if the business commits
to give the same amount for two consecutive years.
HOW DOES THIS PROGRAM BENEFIT CAMPHILL
SPECIAL SCHOOL?
Funds donated by businesses will support our financial aid program for Pennsylvania students who lack
governmental or personal resources.
HOW DOES A BUSINESS APPLY?
6th-grade teacher
Ash works with Jad.
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
The process is simple, but deadlines and timely
compliance must be emphasized. Applications must
be submitted on July 1 for all firs-time business
applicants. To participate in the EITC program,
visit the Department of Community and Economic
Development (DCED) website (http://bit.ly/
CSSEITC/) to complete an online application.
Would you like to see
your business on this
list next year?
Contact Cara Schmidt at
610.469.9236 or cschmidt@
camphillspecialschool.org.
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
11
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
A GENEROUS GUY
A NEW DESIGN FOR
BY CARA SCHMIDT
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
A
FTER HAVING SPENT
his entire professional career in Medical
Chemistry, retiree Guy
Diana was introduced to
the Camphill Movement
ten years ago. It was then that he began volunteering at Soltane.
Guy was later introduced to Camphill
Special School by friends who were looking for
a school for their child. Once he learned about
us, Guy decided to volunteer here as well, and
he has been a committed part of our community for the past four years. “I feel it’s extremely
12
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
important that people realize that Camphill is
providing a need which not many schools are
capable of doing.”
He spends his mornings in the eighthgrade class. Guy has been with these same
students since he began volunteering and has
watched them grow over the years. Working
one-on-one, focusing most often on reading
and math, he says he is “impressed with the
dedication of the staff and the care each child
receives.” His dedication and care are part of
the equation as well!
A man with varied interests, Guy enjoys hiking and likes to paint; he has been painting for
about eight years — both watercolor and oil —
and has even donated his pieces to the ProAm
auction. Clearly he is an active supporter in
many capacities. He likes to share his experience with others. “When someone is interested
in volunteering,” he says, “I simply tell them to
visit the school and talk to the staff and other
volunteers. It’s been very rewarding for me to
have the opportunity to be part of Camphill as
a volunteer and to do whatever I can to help
the children.”
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?
Contact Cara Schmidt at 610.469.9236
or [email protected].
For the past year, Camphill Special School has been working with our design firm, Invictus,
to revamp and reinvigorate our website. It is now more user- and mobile-friendly while
providing all the information prospective families, donors, and volunteers have come to
expect from the school.
We hope you enjoy the new look and find browsing even more enjoyable. Be sure to check
the site often as news and events will be added and updated frequently. Happy clicking!
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
13
EVENTS/HAPPENINGS
THE 2015 CAMPHILL ProAm RAFFLE WANTS TO SEND YOU TO .. .
AN ENCHANTED EVENING GALA
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015, AT 6:00 P.M.
When they came closer, they
saw that the house was made
of bread, the roof was made
of cake, and the windows of
sparkling sugar.
evening it will be! With an unforgettable
menu from Brûlée Catering, a performance
by our students, auction items that will
make for some major bidding competition,
and awesome tunes from The Sonic Tonic
(featuring Beaver Farm’s Ynnon Tal), you
— The Brothers Grimm,
Hansel and Gretel
he Phoenixville Foundry will
still be made of stone, slate,
and steel, but once you
get inside wonderful
treats are in store for
you at An Enchanted
Evening Gala. What an
will experience an evening unlike any other.
For more information (including the
fantastic menu!) or to purchase sponsorships, gala admissions, and raffle tickets, go
to bidpal.net/camphill2015. There you will
also get an auction preview and be able to
bid early on your favorite items. Any questions can be directed to Courtney Coffman
at 610.469.9236 or ccoffman@
camphillspecialschool.org.
Plus, every dollar you give will have
twice the impact! An anonymous
donor has offered up to $100,000 in
matching funds for money raised
between now and June 30, 2015 for
the Early Learning Center. With
your help that goal is sure to be
reached — and surpassed!
Come one; come all to a fun filled day for
the entire family! Cheer on student teams in
the morning as they take part in games and
collect points. The points from the morning activities will then be added to the score
their associated ProAm team garners at the
tennis tournament. The team with the most
points wins!
In addition there will also be music, face
painting, yummy lunch featuring meat from
Beaver Farm and sides from our houses, and
lots of good spirited fun! Plus, this event is
FREE for all.
(Please note: lunch will be $5 per person)
10 am 12 pm Games and contest for
student teams
12 pm to 1 pm Puppet show and dramatic performance
A week-long family vacation
of a lifetime
Montana awaits you! The
1 pm
Lunch in Big
and SkyProAm
Tennis boasts
Tournament
spacious, yet cozy home
five begin
bedrooms and easily sleeps two families
2:30guest
pm house.
Trophy
presentation
and
and has attached studio
Spectacular
architecture
frames glorious
lunch
panoramic views of Big Sky country. There is so much to see and do, no matter
what season you are there.
Miles of hiking trails | Within an hour’s drive of Yellowstone | Rafting
Restaurants | Golfing | Ski resort with all season activities (skiing,
snowboarding, zip lining) | Fishing | And so much more!
RAFFLE TICKETS
ARE $50 EACH
OR THREE FOR
$100!
THIS TRULY IS THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME! INCLUDES $1,500
TO USE FOR AIRFARE OR OTHER TRAVEL EXPENSES.
Donated by Shelley and Donald Meltzer
Saturday, May 30, 2015
VILLAGE RACQUET
Come one, come all to a fun-filled day for the
entire family! Cheer on student teams in the
morning as they take part in games and collect
points. The points from the morning activities
will then be added to the score their associated
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
ProAm team garners at the tennis tournament.
The team with the most points wins!
In addition, there will be music, face painting, yummy lunch, and lots of good-spirited
fun! Plus, this event is FREE for all.
Student teams participate in game
Games, pony rides, and face painting
for attendees.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: All proceeds from the Camphill ProAm and this raffle will benefit the students at Camphill Special School. Camphill
Special School coworkers, employees, and any persons living in their households are not eligible to win. Travel package is non-refundable. Travel
to be coordinated with donor for a mutually agreed upon week. Flights and ALL travel arrangements must be booked by winner.
12 p.m.
Name
Play and puppet show performances
1 p.m.
ProAm Tennis Tournament commences;
lunch available
3 p.m.
Awards ceremony
LUNCH IS
5
$ 00
Phone
Address
Email
Cut here.
ProAm
Winning ticket will be drawn at the ProAm Gala on Friday, May 29, 2015. YOU NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN!
10:30 a.m.
City, State, Zip
One (1) Ticket ($50)
Three (3) Tickets ($100)
Tickets
I have enclosed a check made payable to Camphill Special School in the amount of $
Please charge $
Card No.
to my
Visa
MasterCard
Discover
American Express
Exp. Date
PER PER
SON
MAIL: Camphill Special School, 1784 Fairview Road, Glenmoore, PA 19343
PHONE: 610.469.9236 x132 ONLINE: bidpal.net/camphill2015
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
CAMPHILL UPDATES
FUNDS HELD BY THE BEAVER RUN FOUNDATION
THE BEAVER RUN FOUNDATION:
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Staff Children Education Fund —
BY GUY ALMA,
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
T
established to provide eligible staff
children with additional support while
engaged in formal post-secondary
education
BEAVER RUN FOUNDATION (BRF) FUNDS
HE BEAVER RUN
FOUNDATION was established in 2006 with three
main purposes:
$3,000,000
|1| To encourage and motivate the making
of gifts and donations for the advancement,
promotion, and maintenance of Camphill
Special School.
$2,250,000
|2| To invest the money it raises to establish
a fund to benefit the general purposes of
Camphill Special School.
$1,500,000
|3| To hold title and manage property
acquired for the benefit of Camphill
Special School.
The Foundation is expected to play
an important long-term role in the
growth and sustainable development of
Camphill Special School. The board of the
Foundation has been tasked with expanding its corpus so that in the years ahead
the school will have access to dramatically
increased funding for student financial aid,
staff training, capital upgrades, program
expansion, and coworker retirement needs.
Because the majority of our student
alumni are unable to provide substantial
financial support to their school in their
adult years, a viable mechanism that can
ensure financial stability and predictability
for the next generation of students and staff
is increasingly important. The Foundation
will be able to provide this function and
will allow the school to upgrade buildings
$750,000
2008
2009
2010 2011
2012
2013
2014
JUNE 30
JUNE 30
JUNE 30
JUNE 30
JUNE 30
JUNE 30
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SPRING+SUMMER 2015
Sarah Jane Fund — established to
established to provide scholarship/
financial aid for Camphill Special School
to support the work of Camphill School
of Curative Education and to enable
coworkers of CSS to pursue studies
through the Camphill School of Curative
Education
provide emergency tuition assistance
to students of Camphill Special School
Katherine Grandt Fund — established
BRF Reserve Fund — general fund
JUNE 30
and programs while
developing our most
valuable educational
resource: our class
teachers, house parents, curative educators, and therapists.
One day, our dream of Molly and Issy
a needs-blind admis- participate in
sions policy may even Fasching.
become a reality.
The first significant round of funding
for the Foundation began in 2009. The
past six years have seen a 270% growth in
assets through a mixture of planned giving,
investment income, and donations.
INVESTMENT INCOME
$80,000
Brandon shares quality time
with coworker Tobias.
The Herman Endowment Fund —
steady growth of investment income attests
to their success.
The next strategic milestone is to see the
Foundation’s corpus grow to $3,000,000.
From its current position, that will require
an additional $279,000 of funding, an eminently realistic goal!
For more information about the Beaver
Run Foundation, planned giving, or establishment of a new named fund, please contact Courtney Coffman at 610.469.9236 or
[email protected].
THE PIETZNER LEGACY SOCIETY
There are many ways to establish a lasting
legacy for Camphill Special School. The
most popular is to name the Beaver Run
Foundation as a beneficiary in your will or
estate plan.
To establish a bequest, you simply include
a charitable organization as the beneficiary
of your estate. You can name the Beaver Run
Foundation as a recipient of a percentage of
your estate or a specific dollar amount. You
need not be wealthy to leave a bequest that
will make an incredible difference in the lives
of future Camphill students.
The Foundation’s investment policy is carefully designed to:
$40,000
Protect principal
Avoid companies that “do harm”
Encourage investment in local
companies
Provide long term growth of investment income
$20,000
2008
Curative Education Fund — established
to provide scholarship/financial aid for
Camphill Special School
$60,000
Sasha plays a matching
game with Laura.
Declan Meltzer Scholarship Fund —
established to provide scholarship/
financial aid for Camphill Special School
Enablement Fund — established
to provide financial support for the
coworkers of Camphill Special School
2009
2010 2011
2012
2013
2014
The board and its asset management
committee have done a brilliant job of
working with these principles, and the
Ursel Pietzner enjoys
this year’s Fasching
celebrations.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Robert Swain, President
Betsy Herman, Treasurer
Ute Heuser, Secretary
Rüdiger Janisch
Lydia Schulze
PIETZNER LEGACY
SOCIETY MEMBERS
The members of our Pietzner Legacy
Society listed below have chosen to
support the mission of Camphill Special
School through a gift in their estate
plans. The Beaver Run Foundation
invests and manages planned gifts for
the long-term benefit of the school.
Anonymous
Catherine and William Bucher
Angie Butler
David Chester
Courtney M. Coffman
Carol M. Goetz
Bill and Betsy Herman
Christine Huston
Joyce and Ronald A. Landon
John and Caroline McCardell
Debbie Nickles and Richard Strayer*
Lucy Reid
Thomas and Marcy Rosendale
Debbie Shupp
Lee Smith
*In memoriam
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
17
CAMPHILL UPDATES
UNFOLDING THEIR FUTURES:
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS!
BY GUY ALMA,
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
IN
2011, A $3.3 MILLION CAPITAL
CAMPAIGN to
build a state-of-theart campus for our
Transition Program
at Beaver Farm came to a successful conclusion thanks to the incredible outpouring of
support from donors like you. Since then,
the Transition Program has grown by leaps
and bounds, providing 18- to 21-year-old
students with the education and vocational
training they need as they prepare to step
into adult life.
In the late fall of 2014, the diggers arrived
at the Children’s Village at Beaver Run to
start work on our newest project. Rather than
focus on our oldest students, this project will
provide a beautiful space for our very youngest children. The Meadowsweet Waldorf
Kindergarten and Early Learning Center
will be fully inclusive, allowing children with
The foundation is poured.
intellectual disabilities to learn and grow
alongside typically developing peers.
Meadowsweet will be the first building visitors see as they arrive at Beaver Run. Hosting
two classrooms, a student kitchen, and a multipurpose therapy room, the Center will have
everything needed to give children with intellectual and developmental disabilities a solid
foundation as they begin their school years.
In addition, there will be rooms for individual
therapies, gathering areas for parent dropoff and pick-up, mud rooms, and laundry
facilities. A safe and sheltered playground will
stretch into the woodlands, and new footpaths will connect the Early Learning Center
with the Karl König Schoolhouse.
The Meadowsweet Kindergarten and Early
Learning Center will house a full-service
kitchen that will provide lunches for the children in the kindergarten program, as well
as providing additional nutritious meals for
students in our grade school day program.
The first floor of the building rose from
the site in February as a candle was cast into
the earth to celebrate Candlemas. The second
floor and roof appeared about six weeks later
as spring made its debut in March. With your
financial help and good weather, construction
will be complete by summer.
With the generous contributions donors
have made as of March, we are 75% to our
goal of $1.6 million and have been offered
an exciting challenge by an anonymous
donor: Any gifts given towards the Early
Childhood Center between February 1 and
June 30 will be matched, up to $100,000.
Gifts and sponsorships for this year’s
Enchanted Evening Gala are also eligible
for matching (see page 14)!
If you would like further information on
the Meadowsweet Waldorf Kindergarten
and Early Learning Center, please contact
Courtney Coffman at 610.469.9236 or
[email protected].
Digging begins.
First floor takes shape.
First floor walls rise.
Second floor walls are placed.
Coworker Laura and senior Elizabeth pour the
Earth Candle near the building site which despite
snowy weather burned for two days.
18
REFLECTIONS
SPRING+SUMMER 2015
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
19
DEPARTMENT | KINDERGARTEN
MEADOWSWEET IS BLOOMING
BY VALERIE THOMAS,
EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER
Freyja looks
for emerging
bulbs.
Each Friday, kindergarteners
enjoy a walk to their story
cottage in the woods.
Exploring nature is a favorite
activity for all the little ones.
Leon, Aska, and
Themba file branches.
JOIN US FOR OUR WOODLAND
STORY HOUR!
Valerie, Themba, and Freyja bring
a log back to the playground.
T
HE LONG, DARK, COLD
WINTER DAYS have
slipped away. There is a stirring outdoors, something
new and fresh is awakening. Instead of frost, we find
underfoot spring bulbs beginning to sprout.
The children hear stories about Mother
Earth and the root children that wait for
spring underground. They see some have
already come up to Earth as snow drops
and crocuses.
Throughout the school year the children
enjoy all aspects of nature and adding natural
objects to our nature table. They collect their
treasures on their way to school or when we are
20
REFLECTIONS
SPRING+SUMMER 2015
on our many walks around the school campus.
At the nature table the young child experiences the changes happening outdoors and the
rhythm of the year. Rhythms are important in
all of our lives, but especially for young children. Rhythms of the year, the seasons, and the
day give them a sense of security. Each week
and day in our Meadowsweet Early Learning
Center therefore follows a rhythm as well.
The children learn from one another and
also from their teachers, who provide gentle
guidance. The young child is an imitator and
will emulate what surrounds them. For this
reason the Waldorf early childhood teacher
strives to be a loving, warm person creating
a harmonious space of growth and learning.
This is the joy and also the challenge for the
teachers, and every day is a new learning
opportunity.
Rudolf Steiner spoke often on the importance of free play and about play being “the
work of the child.” Playtime is rich in imagination and fills much of our days. There is complete involvement from the children with lots
of activity and movement, mainly self-initiated
games, together with lots of social interactions.
Some of the older children teach the younger
ones how to finger-knit. The finished knitting
is used in the children’s play; some for the reins
of the rocking pony, some to tie an anchor to a
boat which the children created, and some for
belts on the sailors.
Themba looks forward
to hearing a story.
Creative playtime passes and everyone helps restore order to the room: the
babies to bed, the pots to the kitchen, and
the woodworking tools to their basket. We
then gather for circle time, where we hear
about the spring rains, bulbs waking up, and
the farmer who has started work out in the
fields. Vocabulary and language skills are
enriched through poetry, rhyme, and song,
and directed movement from the teacher
develops coordination.
Once circle time is over, our golden blanket is spread on the floor and the children
rest for ten minutes to the sounds of simple
music. After rest time, we go into the dining
room to eat snacks. The food smells delicious
and after our snack verse we have a “waiter”
serve everyone at the table. We all help
with clean-up: Someone washes the dishes,
another rinses, and someone dries while others are under the table sweeping up crumbs.
The children all love to help in these small
ways. Now it is outdoor time.
We go outside each day, sometimes to
the garden, sometimes to the story cottage
in the woods. On early spring mornings we
see that Jack Frost has been busy painting
the grass and window panes; on another
day we hear the birds loudly announcing
their return from their long northern journey, happy for the warmth.
Every day has much to offer everyone.
Little ones and their parent(s) are invited
to join teachers and our Meadowsweet
students for Woodland Story Hour. Enjoy
a walk in the woods to the story cottage
followed by activities and fairy tales told
in the beautiful setting of the forest.
Offered on the following Fridays from
11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.:
APRIL
MAY
MAY
MAY
MAY
MAY
24
15
01
22
08
29
Please dress appropriately for the weather
conditions. RSVP required by calling
610.469.9236 or emailing information@
camphillspecialschool.org. CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
21
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
WE WILL BE THEIR VOICES
BY LUCY PATERSON
As
Wyatt enjoys time with his sister Lucy.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Wyatt Paterson has been a student at our Transition Program since September 2014. He has blossomed during his first six months at Camphill, especially enjoying
farm life, friendship, and practical activities. Wyatt’s sister Lucy recently gave testimony in New
Jersey asking for the kind of options that Camphill provides to Wyatt as he becomes an adult.
While the school does not lobby, we do like to see a full range of choices available to our
graduates in adult life so that they can be happy, productive citizens with vibrant friendship and
social connections. We enjoyed reading Lucy’s speech and wanted to share it with our readers!
22
REFLECTIONS
SPRING+SUMMER 2015
MARTIN LUTHER
KING, JR. said, “I
am happy to join
with you today in
what (I hope) will
go down in history
as the greatest demonstration of freedom in
the history of our nation.”
I have a twin.
He’s the most awesome guy around. His
loving nature is infectious — you can’t be
in a bad mood with Wyatt in the room. He
surfs, snowboards, and is an animal whisperer. The symptoms of his disability have
been devastating at times: seizures, inconsolable crying, and tantrums. But through it
all he spreads joy and endears everyone he
meets. There’s no one like him, and he says
lots of things that don’t seem to make sense.
But I understand him.
Wyatt and I have been through a lot:
When we were 4 our dad was murdered
in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade
Center. What happens to Wyatt is paramount to me.
Wyatt loves choices. What to wear: board
shorts and flip flops. What to eat: tortilla
chips with a hint of lime. And what movies
to watch: Mary Poppins. Don’t you all do
that every day? Choose what to wear, what
to grab for lunch, and what to do to relax?
It’s our right, and we like it.
Wyatt doesn’t have many opportunities to
choose from. Since he’s found his dream it’s
crucial we respect that. He’s never enjoyed
school and he’s tried several programs. It
was painful to watch my mom’s exhaustive search to find what would work. I was
so grateful when she found it. You may
not enjoy mucking pig stalls, or harvesting
potatoes, or feeding lambs with a bottle,
but Wyatt does. Most real farmers live and
work on their farms. Wyatt just loves waking up to the “moo” of the cow right outside
his window. And I’m so happy for him.
The disabled need and want what we
have: “an array of options to choose from.”
What’s being proposed in New Jersey is
discriminatory and it’s reminding me of
all the upsetting ways African Americans
were treated: being sent to the back of the
bus, not being served lunch at the drugstore
counter, and not being allowed to vote.
Aren’t we past this? I’m actually embarrassed that we even have to negotiate this.
As his twin, I know Wyatt better than
anyone. Because of his farmstead, he finally
has a sense of independence, freedom, and
purpose. The farm gives him hands-on
skills, socialization, and he’s very safe.
There he thinks he’s so cool. And he is.
Why would anyone take that away from
my brother, who’s suffered so much? There are many like me out there —
siblings of disabled. And one day we will
become their guardians. We will be their
voices when our parents no longer can be.
Our siblings have long lives ahead — long
after you all leave your jobs. We need a say
in their futures. We need your help and
support so we can ensure freedom of choice
for our disabled siblings.
I request:
|1| New Jersey should remove the 4–6 bed
limit for its State Transition Plan;
|2| New Jersey should remove the 25%
density limits from its State Transition Plan;
|3| New Jersey should remove any ban on
campuses, intentional communities, and
farm-based communities from the State
Transition Plan;
|4| New Jersey should remove the requirement that individuals spend 75% of their
days in the community from the State
Transition Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Lucy Paterson
CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG
23
I
1784 Fairview Road
Glenmoore, PA 19343
610.469.9236
camphillspecialschool.org
A
CI
I
ND
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PLEASE JOIN US
2015
April 29
CAMPUS TOUR
May 16
ADMISSIONS OPEN HOUSE
May 20
CAMPUS TOUR
May 29
AN ENCHANTED EVENING GALA (see page 14)
May 30
VILLAGE RACQUET ProAm (see page 14)
9 a.m.
9 a.m.
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VISIT CAMPHILLSPECIALSCHOOL.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT ALL EVENTS.
Camphill Special School’s mission is to create wholeness for children and
youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities through education and
therapy in extended family living so that they may be better understood and
their disabilities moderated, that they may more fully unfold their potential,
and that they may more fully and meaningfully participate in life.
Camphill Special School does not discriminate on the
basis of race, age, color, creed, gender, sexual orientation,
national or ethnic orientation, or disability.