The Denver Waldorf School Podcast
Episodes
What's up with College Preparedness? Student Edition
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we turn over the mic to four seniors at The Denver Waldorf High School! In this candid conversation, these students share ...
What's up with College Preparedness?
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What if college readiness wasn’t just about getting into college - but about knowing who you are and where you’re headed?In this week’s episode,...
What's up with Student Support?
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"Real inclusion happens when there is an understanding that everybody needs something different to learn." That is the message from School D...
What's up with AI - a Waldorf Perspective
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What's up with artificial intelligence at the Denver Waldorf School? On this week's episode, Charlie Orphanides (current 8th grade teacher)...
What's up with Being a Waldorf Teacher?
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, School Director Kelly Molinet sits down with our interim education director, Betsy Doyle White, and current 8th grade clas...
What's up with the Next 50 Years at DWS?
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What's up with Waldorf education at DWS over the next 50 years? That is the question that DWS school founder Ina Jaehnig addresses in this week&#...
What's up with 50 Years at DWS?
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In honor of our school's 50th anniversary, DWS Educational Director Charlie Orphanides sits down with long-time Waldorf educator and administrator...
What's up with Waldorf High School? Student Edition
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In past episodes, we've heard Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss what makes our Waldorf high such an ...
What's up with Wonder?
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There is a lot of talk of wonder at The Denver Waldorf School. As we celebrate our school's 50th anniversary this year, wonder has been the theme thro...
What's up with Waldorf High School?
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine asking your high schooler, “how was school today?” and receiving an engaged and enthusiastic response. That is the wonder of The Denver Wa...
What's up with Community at DWS?
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, Kelly Mollinet (our School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (our Educational Director) discuss the question: "what's up with c...
An Alumni Spotlight - Ian Connolly
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For this week's podcast episode, we are grateful to be able to catch up with DWS alum, Ian Connolly from the class of 2015. He is a legal scholar,...
What's up with Smartphones? Student Edition
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's podcast, DWS high school students ask and answer the tough questions about smartphone use -- and some of their answers may surprise...
What's up with Technology?
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's up with technology at DWS? The Waldorf approach to education has always emphasized the importance of giving room to our children's imag...
What's up with DEI Work at DWS?
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) speak on the schoo...
What's up with Homework?
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's up with homework at DWS - what is the nature of it, how much, how often? On this week's episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Ch...
What's up with Assessments?
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode of What's up with That?, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Educational Director) address a quest...
What's up with Looping?
07 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a recent New York Times article by Adam Grant, the power of "looping" was discussed as a key educational component in being able to unloc...
Where Are All of the Textbooks?
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're bringing back The Denver Waldorf Podcast with a new series of discussions with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie ...
A Conversation with Alumni
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It is always a great gift to be reminded why the work of our education is so vitally important, and hearing our alumni reflect on their educational jo...
Movement in the Waldorf Curriculum
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We start our days always with movement - whether jump roping, a run around the field, or a game of spaceball! And it’s not just during the begi...
The Nine-Year Change
07 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Education Director Vernon Dewey is joined by Movement Teacher and Therapeutic Movement Specialist Charlie Orphanides to talk about the nine...
Boundaries as Breathing: Using Rhythm as Preventative Discipline
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a recording of a parent education morning led by Education Director Vernon Dewey. Rhythm is a integral part to how we go about our days in the...
Arts in the Waldorf Curriculum
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's podcast, Education Director Vernon Dewey is joined by two longtime DWS art teachers, Kimberly Martin and Tom Clark. In their conversati...
Science in the Waldorf Curriculum
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we are joined by our science teachers- Nancy Taylor, Adam Newman, and Tom Clark. They share more about the Waldorf approach to...
Student Support
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are a school that nurtures health in our children. That is what we do here. On this week's episode, Education Director Vernon Dewey sits down with ...
Inspiring Change with our Racial Justice Parent Group
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At its root, our school supports a healthy environment for growth, curiosity, and authenticity. And not just in the classroom- it’s evident in our p...
The College Application Process
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For today’s high school student, preparing for the next step after graduation looks far different than it did 15 years ago, 5 years ago, even just 2...
Mathematics in the Waldorf Curriculum
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, we are joined by our middle school and high school math teachers- Iliana Flefel, Sarah Meyer, and Adam Newman. They share more...
Heeding the Call for Time Outside
25 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we have the honor of chatting with Ginny Yurich, founder of the 1000 Hours Outside global movement. Her mission is to inspire familie...
“Where Did I Come From?” and Other Wildly Misinterpreted Questions Young Children Ask
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you remember how old you were when your parents sat you down to have “the talk”? You know, the one about where babies come from? Or maybe the t...
Informed Giving
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
December is a time of year when many of us are feeling more generous than usual - and with all the extra (and extra fun) activities at the end of the&...
Guiding Waldorf Principles
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This is a time of year when, for many of us, the world feels like it’s moving really fast. Whether we are trying to keep up with work, family, perha...
Festival of Light Emerging
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With Thanksgiving under our (maybe slightly tighter) belts, we turn our gaze toward winter festivities. But during this time, in the natural world, of...
Restorative Practices
08 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, Waldorf education marked its 100th anniversary. But you might be wondering for any teaching philosophy, not just Waldorf, that has deeper roo...
Finding Rest & Deeper Sleep
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daylight savings time ends this weekend. As we look forward to the extra hour of sleep we might get, we have an extra special treat this week on our p...
A Conversation with Alumni
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How does a Waldorf school prepare today’s students for college? Of course, 100% of Denver Waldorf students are accepted into college, the vast major...
The Case for Looping & the Role of a Waldorf Teacher
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we sit down again with Education Director Vernon Dewey, this time to discuss our looping system. Here at The Denver Waldorf School, o...
Rhythm and Early Childhood
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A breath in, a breath out. Breathing in as the children sit in circle for story time, breathing out as they run and play freely in the outdoors. Rhyth...
The Festival of Courage
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here at The Denver Waldorf School, one of our hallmarks is our festival life. Throughout the year, we hold various festivals that speak to different t...
Music and the Waldorf Experience
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The halls of our school are quite full. Full of rich hues from the students' paintings and handwork, full in aroma when harvested wheat is baked into ...
A History of Waldorf Education and Its Role Today
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Long-time Waldorf educator Tom Clark, who today serves our school as a beloved high school physics and art teacher, shares the story of how the first ...
The Calendar of the Soul
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Every morning, before the school day begins, a bell rings throughout the grade school hallway inviting faculty and staff into one of the classrooms fo...
The Rose Ceremony and Human Development
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Education Director Vernon Dewey joins us as he paints a picture of the Rose Ceremony, a lovely tradition of Waldorf schools that book end th...
Theater and the Waldorf Experience
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The performing arts has long been a powerful medium for getting us into our bodies, whether it's through dancing, plays, or musical concerts. It is th...
First Grade Readiness
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
First grade is a child’s introduction to the collective being of a class. We nurture a deep reverence for the earth, compassion for classmates, and ...
Movement and the Waldorf Experience
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Wondering why movement is paramount in the Waldorf curriculum? Waldorf educator Charlie Orphanides takes us on a brief journey through the field of mo...
Transgender Journey
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a conversation with TC Tolbert, Theo Isoz, and Dylan Wilder Quinn as they share their experience and insights of their personal transgende...
Race and the Developing Child
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Presented by the DWS Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, this webinar features a panel of DWS community members in a discussion on racial dynamics an...
High School Virtual Open House
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Step Inside The Denver Waldorf High School Wondering if The Denver Waldorf School is the right choice for high school? Join us for a virtual open hous...
Town Hall with Kelly Church
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Denver Waldorf School Podcast. Our first episode features the April 27th town hall with school director, Kelly...