 |
 |
 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
||||||||
 |
We are pleased to announce the creation of The Founders Circle to honor the individuals who have expressed their intent to make gifts by bequest or other planned giving vehicles. By making a planned gift we acknowledge that these donors belong to a distinguished group of individuals whose contributions to the life of the Rudolf Steiner School have fostered its growth and transformation over eight decades. The original Founders Circle was a nucleus of determined women and men, who grasped the vision of a Waldorf school in a great metropolis, found buildings to house it, and became gifted teachers. They enrolled their children in the fledging Rudolf Steiner School, represented Waldorf pedagogy to educators and the general public, and gave the generous financial gifts that launched a dramatically new and very promising approach to the education of children. Bequests have long been an important source of revenue for the Rudolf Steiner School; they support our educational mission and help ensure the future of the School. We are grateful to the alumni, parents, grandparents, and parents of alumni, faculty and friends who, over the years, have named the Rudolf Steiner School as a beneficiary in their wills. You, too, can express your appreciation for excellence in education by making a bequest the Steiner School. We would be pleased to provide donors, their attorneys, and financial advisors with additional information. Gifts and bequests to the School are deductible under the federal income, estate and gift tax laws. Inquiries, which will be held in the strictest confidence, may be made directly to the Development Office.
The Founders Circle As of June 30, 2007 Sir John Baring, Bt. If your name should appear on the list of member in The Founders Circle and has been omitted or has been listed incorrectly, please contact the Development Office.
David and Gretchen Weir Parents of Maisie ’06 and Gregory ’09 “Steiner is the only place we found that flew against the wind, and not just for the sake of it. It has a different value system; they really teach the children to think.” In 1992, Gretchen and David Weir searched New York City for a school for their children. Most of what they saw was exactly what they didn’t want: noisy, overfilled classrooms, wallpapered with false enthusiasm about the wonderfulness of each student, where children played with plastic toys and cars. These environments, the Weirs felt, just reinforced the frenetic boom-box life of the city. Eventually, their dissatisfaction, as well as a close friend, led them to the Rudolf Steiner School. When they walked through the front doors, they discovered an oasis of values, an alternative theory of education, and a new sense of possibility. The classrooms were gentle and nourishing; they saw wooden toys, veils, circle time with singing. In some ways, it seemed too good to be true; it took a leap of faith for them to place their daughter Maisie, and later their son Gregory, in this environment. But twelve years later, they are still absolutely certain they made the right decision. “Most important for us is the way Steiner gives each student his or her own compass, a spiritual sensibility that ‘finishes’ the person, centers the individual. Without that, one is inclined to ‘follow.’ Our kids can find their way around without the group, although they’re not necessarily against the group at all. They’re extremely mature, and have an inner assurance. They say, “This is me, this is how I want to be treated,” but without that typical cynicism and irony you often hear from today’s teenagers. They see the fads, but inside they know it’s all a bit ridiculous, and are able to retain their perspective. The school instills that objectivity, keeps that part alive.” Both from competitive educational environments, David and Gretchen relish the individualistic, creative approach at Steiner. They integrated themselves fully into the School’s activities, and have participated in a myriad of special events, committees, and projects. By experiencing the curriculum through their children, they have enjoyed personal as well as parenting opportunities. One gift has been the renewal of their love of music, which began when Maisie was in first grade. Instead of listening to pop rock, she was learning to play scales on the recorder, and she brought her music home. “Just being around the music, listening to the kids play their instruments – flute, violin, piano - it’s been extraordinary. I’d attended the symphony once a week as a child, but had six terrible years of piano lessons. Their music helped me revisit good memories, almost like a spiritual revival. And Gretchen, who never studied an instrument, and began to feel that it was missing in her life, started taking piano lessons, and loves it.” With their children now entering twelfth and ninth grades, Gretchen and David have declared their intention to include the Rudolf Steiner School in their estate planning, and are working with their lawyers on a bequest. This generous gift will enable future students to receive the same education the Weirs have chosen for their own children. The School is deeply grateful for their thoughtfulness, and wishes to thank them, again, for the confidence that they have expressed in our School.
Gerda Schmid Carmichael ’43 When Gerda Schmid Carmichael graduated from the Rudolf Steiner School in 1943, her seventh grade class was so small it was combined with the eighth grade. Her mother, Lucienne Schmid, taught French and German in the Elementary School and later was secretary to Henry Barnes. At that time, there was not yet a High School, so Gerda continued her studies at public school. Gerda’s favorite memories of Steiner are of her handwork and craft teachers—of knitting, crocheting and embroidering, and working with wood and clay. She loved music at the school and maintains her musical interest today by continuing to play recorder; she also sings with her church choir and the Birmingham Concert Chorale that performs with the Alabama Symphony. Although she taught elementary school for several years, she was trained as an art teacher, and it was in her classes that the Waldorf influence was most evident in her techniques. “I would come home elated about what the children had done in art class. . . I was happy, happy. . . .” Her love of the arts has stayed with her, and Gerda admits to now being a workshop-a-holic. Restlessly curious and enthusiastic, she enjoys studying the “flavor of the month” by attending workshops in stained glass, silver smithing, weaving, glass blowing, blacksmithing, among others. Gerda incorporated the Waldorf philosophy into her teaching and her approach to life, and credits Steiner with instilling in her a passion for artistic freedom that continues to influence her abundant activities. Throughout her life, travel and giving have gone hand in hand as recurrent themes. Gerda traveled all over the world, and has always made it a habit to combine pleasure with service. Dr. Carmichael, to whom she was married for seventeen years, ran a successful obstetrics practice in Alabama, and when he retired, he volunteered his medical services in St. Lucia and then in the Amazon. Gerda accompanied him everywhere, and has continued traveling since his death eleven years ago, often through programs such as Earthwatch, Ocean Society, and Global Volunteers. Last summer, after spending time horseback riding in Mongolia, she journeyed to Xian, China, and taught English for two weeks. Even when she is at home, Gerda gives her time freely, and has knitted 250 afghans and quilted 250 quilts for Afghani children. It eases her conscience, she says, giving something back as she travels, and she has the vision to find worthy causes everywhere. Many of these causes have been within the Waldorf movement. The Redmont School, which is the Waldorf school in Birmingham, Alabama, where she lives, has “Gerda’s Garden,” where the elementary school children can grow vegetables and flowers. Gerda and her brother donated their parent’s home, built in the 50’s by their parents in Warwick, New York, to Dayspring, a Waldorf initiative. And for the past five years, Gerda has been a generous sponsor of the Fall Crafts Fair, a cherished activity of the Rudolf Steiner School. Now, Gerda’s philanthropy and generosity extends into the future. We are pleased to announce that she has included the Rudolf Steiner School in her will, ensuring that her legacy will continue. |
|||||||
