Document text
DOCOBENT RESOME
ED 198 977 RC 012 535
TITLE Rudolf Steiner Farm School, Hawthorne Valley.
INSTITOTICN Rudolf Steiner Farm School, Harlemville, Gkent,
N.Y.
PUB DATE {79]
NOTE 21p.; Paper copy not available due to publisher's
choice.
AVAILABLE FRCM Rudolf Steiner Farm School, RD 2, Harlemville, Ghent,
NY 12075 ($0.50 ea., 5 copies for $2.00).
EDBS PRICE MFO1 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS.
DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; *Aesthetic Education; *Agricultural
Education; Day Schools; *Educational Theories;
Elementary Secondary Education; *Experiential
Learning; Foundations of Education; Nontraditional
Education: *Outdoor Education: Private Schools;
*Rural Education; Summer Programs
IDENTIFIERS Farms (Educational); *Steiner (Rudolf)
ABSTRACT
The goal cf the Rudolf Steiner Farm School (which
esploys the spiritual/scientific path of knowledge described by
Budolf Steiner in the early 1900's) is to awaken and cultivate the
capacities of the full human being through education, the arts, and
agriculture, in direct relationship with nature, the spiritual
universe, and current times. The institution's branches are mutually
interlinked yet freely cooperating parts of the whole. The Farm
branch is operated according tc the principles of bio-dynamic
agriculture ami offers aprfrenticeships tc young farmers wishing to
train in bio-dynamic methods. The School branch is an independent,
co-educational day school which uses the methods of Rudolf Steiner
(as practiced in sore than 160 schools in.s@®me 20 countries) and
draws directly from farm and garden, from artistic and practical
activities for educaticnal experiences. The Hostel and Visiting
Student tranch enables urban and suburban students to live at the
schocl for varying time periods and to learn subjects and skills
related to farm and ccuntry life, e.g. botany, earth science, animal
study, astroncay, and surveying. The 2itists and Artisans branch
cffers painting, handcrafts, music, dramatic and poetic arts,
staging, eurythmy, and architecture. Other programs include summer
casps and adult workshops and conferences. (AN)
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* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *
* from the original document. *
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JIARLEMVILLE
GHENT NEW YORK 12075
kcQ1 2535
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THE RUDOLF STEINER FARM SCHOOL occupies 350 acres in a wide,
sunlit valley which rises to wooded hills, encompasses croplands, pastures
and forest, and is traversed by two clear streams. These farm lands surround
the tiny hamlet of Harlemville. In this open, yet sheltered valley, an educa-
tional and social organism is arising, made up of individual active parts,
each with its own tasks, yet each contributing to the greater life of the whole.
It has been given the name Hawthorne Valley, from which the individual
branches take their name.
Out of the realization of the urgent needs of our times, the Farm School
was established in August, 1972, as a place where education, agriculture and
artistic life should work together in interrelated activity, in an endeavor to
meet the challenges and responsibilities of the decades to come. Basic to every
aspect of its life are the insights into the nature of man, of the developing
child, and of the world which can be gained from the knowledge first
presented by Rudolf Steiner at the beginning of this century.
The spiritual-scientific path of knowledge which he describes has made
possible new approaches in science, agriculture, education, the arts, social
and religious life, and medical healing, all of which contribute to the life of
the Farm School. The following branches are the mutually interlinked yet
freely cooperating parts of the whole:
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THE HAWTHORNE VALLEY FARM provides the foundation on which the
activities of the Farm School take place, offering at the same time a health-
giving background and a wealth of experiences and resources to the educa-
tional and artistic life of the immediate and wider community.
In recognition that man’s responsibility to the soil, to plants, animals,
and to his own human well-being requires new insights and new approaches,
the farm is operated according to the principles of bio-dynamic agriculture,
as a diversified, largely self-contained farm organism, by an experienced
farmer, together with a co-worker and apprentices. Bio-dynamics, originated
by Rudolf Steiner as an advanced organic method of enhancing soil fertility
and plant and animal health, is already widely known in Europe and is coming
to be recognized also in this country. It offers a technically and economically
sound alternative to one-sided, industrialized agricultural methods and to the
mounting problems arising from their use.
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The farm produces milk, meat, eggs and grains, milling its own flour
and processing most of the milk into an excellent cheese. Farm products
are sold locally in the farm store and cheese is also shipped to more distant
customers. Hawthorne Valley Farm offers a three-year, on-the-job appren-
ticeship for young farmers wishing to train in bio-dynamic methods, enabling
them also to join in the cultural life of the Farm School as a whole.
THE HAWTHORNE VALLEY SCHOOL is an independent, co-educational
day school, where children, without regard for color, race or creed, receive
schooling based on the methods of Rudolf Steiner, or Waldorf, education,
as practiced in more than 160 schools in some twenty countries of the free
world. The school draws its pupils from the immediate vicinity and from the
Hudson-Taconic-Berkshire region.
The broad curriculum provides a balanced, many-sided education and
the vivid, artistic methods of instruction awaken lively interest and response.
What especial’y distinguishes the Hawthorne Valley School is that, in
accordance with. the goals of the Farm School, it can draw directly on farm
and garden, on artistic and practical activities as sources of educational
experience. By do‘i:g so it works to cultivate a lasting awareness and respect
for the surrounding world as well as to offer a method of schooling which
engages and strengthens the children’s will, so greatly needed today.
The teachers in the Hawthorne Valley School are jointly responsible,
as a faculty, for the life and conduct of the school. They see the schooling
of an intelligence which is perceptive, practical and truly moral as one of the
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... it is “aliveness” that
must be the guiding principle.
“Aliveness” in the teacher
must pass over to
“aliveness” in the children.
RUDOLF STEINER
most urgent tasks for American education in the coming years, and they
recognize that this can only happen when the full human being is engaged
and is educated out of the experience of life as a whole. Having started
as an elementary school, which is fast outgrowing its classroom space, new
building plans are underway which will make possible the attainment of its
goal as a full twelve-year school, involving in its achievement an ever
closer interrelationship of all branches of the Farm School.
Our highest endeavor
must be to develop free
human beings who are able
of themselves to impart
purpose and direction
to their lives.
RUDOLF STEINER
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The interrelated branches of the Farm School draw their life from
insight into the spiritual nature of man and of the world, which they seek to
embody in the quality and methods ofall their pursuits. The pictures on these
two pages show School, Hostel and Summer Activities.
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THE HAWTHORNE VALLEY HOSTEL and Visiting Student Program, with
dormitory and dining facilities for up to thirty children, enables classes
from city and suburban schools to live at the Farm School for varying
periods of time. The Hostel faculty guides and teaches them in subjects and
skills related to farm and country life. Subjects such as botany, earth science,
animal study, astronomy and surveying can be pursued and brought to life
through direct observation and practice. First-hand experience in conserva-
tion and ecology is an important part of everything which the children
do and learn.
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Besides sharing in the chores — feeding animals, gathering eggs, working
in the garden, participating in seasonal projects such as cider pressing,
woodcutting and learning to bake bread, churn butter and help with cooking
—there is opp~ unity for crafts and artistic work, as well as time for fun,
for square dan ‘1g in the barn, cookouts, swimming, hiking, ice skating and
cross-country skiing in season.
Students and teachers working together learn from each other in ways
not possible in the classroom. Students gain invaluable glimpses into them-
selves as individuals and as members of a group; they gain confidence in their
ability to be useful, dependable and creative. Teachers accompanying classes
can observe students in a variety of working situations that yield new in-
sights and understanding.
The need for imagination,
a sense of truth and a feeling
of responsibility, these
are the three forces which are
the very nerve of education.
RUDOLF STEINER
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HAWTHORNE VALLEY ARTISTS AND ARTISANS. The arts, handcrafts and
cultural life are an integra! part of the life and work of the Farm School,
oi its educational activities, of the life of the farm workers, and of the
creative activities of the community as a whole. In working with color, form
and tone, with speech and movement, with wood, cloth and metal — heart
and mind are awakened, hand and will disciplined, and those creative forces
tapped which can bring new life and vigor to human society. That such forces,
so greatly needed today, may permeate increasingly all the Farm School
activities is the task of those who work in this branch of endeavor.
The goal of offering extended training in individual arts, handcrafts,
and vocational skills —and eventually the designing and production of articles
useful for daily life — will be achieved as. it becomes possible to offer support
to more artists and artisans. Through the efforts of a small but growing
group of experienced artists, however, a very encouraging beginning has
already been made in the spheres of painting, handcrafts, music, the dramatic
and poetic arts, staging, eurythmy and architecture. These efforts include
regular workshops in artistic method, an adult painting course, a chorus,
small chamber orchestra and recorder group.
The celebration of the festivals, the annual performance by co-workers
of an Old English Christmas play, concerts and eurythmy performances, all
contribute to the life of the community and the wider area. These activities
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are fostered and arranged by the Hawthorne Valley Artists and Artisans,
who, in striving « meet the creative tasks of our times, serve the artistic
goals of the o-ganism of the Farm School. As in the other branches, training
in the impulses given by Rudolf Steiner is a basic aspect of their work.
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Pee ke
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Joy and happiness in living, a love of all existence,
a power and energy for work —
such are among the lifelong results
of a right cultivation of the feeling for beauty and for art.
RUDOLF STEINER
BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES for these growing branches of the Farm School
have been primitive from the start, but with concerted effort have been
expanded under pressure of need. Now, as these are becoming inadequate,
a building program is underway which will serve the School, the Visiting
Program, the Farm and the surrounding community. Larger classroom space
is imperative. A central hall and indoor activity space is essential. The present
woodworking shop—a converted icehouse — will be supplemented as funds
become available, by much needed workshop, studio and handcraft spaces
and housing for woodworking machines.
SUMMER AT HAWTHORNE VALLEY FARM, a four-week camp session for
boys and girls, eight to twelve years old, seeks to provide children with a
full experience of nature through caring for farm animals, swimming, hiking,
camping, horseback riding and horse care, and nature study, in addition to
creative activity through painting, music, woodwork, drama and crafts.
Children use the dormitory, dining hall, farm and school facilities.
AGAWAMUCK WILDERNESS ADVENTURE, a six-week summer camp ses-
sion, helps young people in their early teens learn to live in and appreciate
the wilderness, its processes and its natural beauty, and to behave responsibly
in this environment. For part of the time, campers live in tents on a wooded
hillside site on Farm School property, while at other times they are engaged
in hiking, climbing and canoeing in the Berkshires, Catskills, Green Moun-
tains and Adirondacks.
ADULT CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS are held in various fields. The
annual Teachers’ Conference and the workshops in Artistic Method have
become part of the life of the Farm School. Conferences and smaller gather-
ings, sponsored both by the Farm School as well-as by other groups, have
also been held on themes such as medicine, farming and gardening, land
use, and other aspects of spiritual-scientific study and research.
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GUESTHOUSE FACILITIES are available when dormitories are not occupied
by student, camp or conference groups. Guests are most welcome to make
use of them for modest rates. This enables adults, families and student groups
to enjoy the Farm School’s rural setting. The facilities are also available
for rental to responsible university, church or social groups for workshops
or retreats. Varied activities are available at such times, including participa-
tion in the festival celebrations of_the year, artistic programs and classes,
as well as in the seasonal outdoor.activities mentioned above.
THE HEALING ARTS. Therapy and healing are recognized more and more
as an integral and much needed element in education today because of the
increasing impact of our civilization upon the growing child. The presence,
therefore, of a school doctor, whose practice grows out of the same under-
standing of man and the world that underlies the entire educational effort,
adds an in:vortant dimension to what the Farm School can offer.
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The Healing Arts Group, serving the needs of the wider community
as well as of the Farm School, presently consists of two physicians, three
registered nurses (one of whom is an experienced midwife), a painter with
therapeutic experience, a teacher of special education, and also offers thers
peutic massage. A small house in the vicinity serves those in need of rest
and care. Long-range plans involve the establishment of a therapeutic center
ministering to the needs of the whole human being. Legal responsibility
and the administering of funds will be assumed by a foundation.
SOCIAL FORMS. It is the cooperation of free individuals which makes it
possible for the Farm School organism to function. Social and economic
structures evolve as the community and its needs evolve. The faculty,
comprising the permanent co-workers from all branches, meets once each
week to review, discuss and determine the conduct of Farm School affairs.
Income is shared, allowing, as far as possible, for differences in individual
needs. The land and buildings are the property of the Rudolf Steiner Educa-
tional and Farming Association, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt organization,
which is administered by a board of directors working in close conjunction
with the faculty. Income derives from charges made for tuitions, use of
facilities, sale of farm and other products, from performances, workshops
and conferences, and from voluntary contributions. Capita: needs must be
met by donations, which are tax-deductible.
THE NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY. Participating in much of the Farm
School’s community life are parents of the Hawthorne Valley School, cus-
tomers of Hawthorne Valley Farm, and other nearby friends and associates.
Among them is a growing number of residents of Fern Hill, a land-trust
residential community development adjacent to the Farm Schocl. The active
give-and-take, mutual interests, friendships and concerns whic!’ unite the
members of the Farm School with the wider communities around them are a
‘most essential and healthy-element in the life of the Farm Schoo: itself.
Aniong the tangible and most welcome evidences of neighborly collabo. ation
are the establishment by nearby friends of a small store and social center in the
village, and of a food cooperative housed in the basement of the dining hall.
TASKS AND GOALS. To awaken and cultivate by creative
means the capacities of the full human being — head, heart and
will— through the active interrelation of education, the arts
and agriculture, and to do so in direct relationship with
nature, with the spiritual universe, and with the times in
which we live, is the goal which inspires and gives courage
to the Farm School. This sustains it as an organism and
builds its life as a community. It is a place of “becoming,”
and is Christian, in the widest sense of the word.
Thus, out of an ideal held in the hearts and minds of
many persons over a number of years, a community of effort
has begun to grow which is already demonstrating that it is
fulfilling a real need. As the years pass and the difficulties
and chaos of life increase, the needs will inevitably become
greater, and it is to be hoped that the Rudolf Steiner Farm
School will grow to meet these needs and may serve to inspire
similar efforts in many other places.
Looking about us at this critical point of time
im which we live, when the prime emphasis in life
is on “to have,” with the result that human
civilization hangs on the brink of déstruction,
must we not say: Today it is no longer a question
of ‘to have or not to have,” it is no longer a
question of “to be or not to be,” but it is a
> *
question of “to become or not to become.’
KARL EGE
*Karl Ege, An Evident Need of Our Times. Adonis Press, 1979.
FRIENDS AND GUARANTORS. That ail this could happen and that it may
continue, a strong circle of loyal supporters has been and is needed who carry
the Farm School in their hearts and will. During the preparatory years, the
first friends came forward and made the purchase of the farm and the start
of the whole enterprise pessible. Others joined them and the early years were
sustained. Recently, a number of members of the loosely-knit association of
Friends have undertaken a more definite commitment and have agreed to
unite in a circle of Guarantors, who, together with Faculty and Board, stand
for the future of the endeavor.
Today, both Guarantors and Friends are vital to the life of the Farm
School as a whole. Although each branch of the organism has made significant
strides toward economic self-sufficiency, the enterprise in its entirety is still
very much in the pioneer phase and co-worker incomes are far below what
they should be. To sustain the operation, to service capital indebtedness,
and to fund all new developments, continuous voluntary financial support
is needed. Anyone wishing te become a Friend of the Farm School will
receive a most cordial welcome!
Those desiring to have their aaines placed on the mailing list to receive
the Newsletter or to ask further questions, should write to:
The Secretary, Rudolf Steiner Farm School,
Harlemville, R.D.2, Ghent, N.Y. 12075,
Telephone (518) 672-7120 or -4750
Located on Route 217, near the Taconic State Parkway.
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The Farm School, Hawthorne Valley,
is gratefully indebted to
Joan Dufault
for a wide range of professional photography of its
many varied activities,
a selection of which appears here.
Other contributing photographers,
— their pictures marked with one and two stars, respectively —
: are Wendy Neefus and Jeffrey Mitchell.
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