Days of service, assemblies, and MLK Day specific curricula were some of the ways Waldorf schools honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 16, 2023.

Denver Waldorf School called for a day “on” instead of a day “off” and families and students made their way to the city center to spread messages of social justice. Housatonic Valley Waldorf School organized service projects for upper grades students in honor of the day with clothing and food donation drives organized by students, including having the fourth- and fifth-grade classes make sandwiches for Dorothy Day House in Danbury, CT. It was also a day of service for Susquehanna Waldorf School seventh graders. Sandpoint Waldorf School engaged each grade in service projects on January 16 ranging from donating handmade bird feeders to working for a local senior center and food bank. 

Many schools held assemblies featuring the talents of students, messages from educators, and special lectures from the broader community. Detroit Waldorf School honored the life of Dr. King through stories, spoken word, song, dance, and art. In a similar fashion, Linden Waldorf School showcased student performances, while the Rudolf Steiner School of NYC invited writer and journalist Lee A. Daniels to speak with its high school students about his advocacy work in the areas of social justice and Afro-American research.

Other schools incorporated Dr. King’s legacy into the curriculum. For example, Seattle Waldorf School asked students to recite and listen to sections from the "I Have a Dream" speech before writing their own dreams for the world. They then created art and poems about the ongoing fight for justice and equity.

Photo Credit: Sandpoint Waldorf School