Pasadena Waldorf High School
The Waldorf High School schedule is designed to ensure a healthy and enlivening balance of academic, artistic, physical and social activities. The day is divided into three parts: main lesson, skills, and artistic classes.
Main lesson comes first in the day, provides an intensive conceptual focus on one particular subject area, and runs for an hour and forty-five minutes daily over a four-week period.
Academic skills classes follow and provide the opportunity to practice the type of skills needed for working with the conceptual foundations laid in the main lessons.
The third part of the day is devoted to the fine, applied and performing arts, as well as physical education and social community-building activities.
Academics
Pasadena Waldorf School High School offers a college and life preparatory education that places the human being at the center of the learning experience. Dedicated to the understanding that a rigorous and challenging education does not have to be test-driven, the Waldorf High School provides students the opportunity to explore and master a wide range of subjects in a way that challenges thinking, enlivens feelings, and imparts purpose to life.
Waldorf High School students develop creative and independent thinking, genuine self-confidence, and the ability to work well with others. Waldorf graduates understand how to meet challenges creatively and proactively pursue goals, to act out of sound ethical judgments, and to cherish an abiding interest in learning, their community, and the world. A Waldorf High School education develops the creative capacities needed for success in college, relationships, work, and life.
According to a national study of Waldorf graduates, 89% are highly satisfied in their choice of occupation. Those are impressive numbers, and PWS alumni are no exception. Waldorf students are highly sought after by institutions of higher learning. Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Physics at Amherst College loves having Waldorf students in his classroom: “By the time they reach us at the college and university level, these students are grounded broadly and deeply and have a remarkable enthusiasm for learning. Such students possess the eye of the discoverer, and the compassionate heart of the reformer which, when joined to a task, can change the planet.”
Colleges Love Our Graduates
Take a Closer Look at our High School Curriculum
Sciences
Observation, exploration, thoughtful scientific reflection and understanding of the natural world and our human role within it serve as the foundation of the science curriculum in the Waldorf high school. Studies in all scientific subject areas — Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science — are integral parts of the core curriculum. Each year students deepen their understanding by revisiting each subject on progressively deeper levels of complexity and understanding.
The Waldorf approach to science goes beyond acceptance of pre-digested information; rather it educates students to observe carefully and objectively and to reason from what they have observed, thereby arriving at a vivid and deep scientific understanding of the world. Working with our science faculty – all who have professional research experience – students develop in a developmentally appropriate way the skills of a modern scientist. Not only are they learning measurement, analysis, and problem-solving skills, but they are also conducting original scientific studies including field work, using spreadsheets and graphs to work with their data, collaborating with team members, and communicating their results in written, poster, and oral presentation forms.
The Waldorf science program offers rigorous, college-preparatory electives that build analytically on the vivid, conceptual understandings previously established.
Science Curriculum
9th Grade
Geology
Chemistry 1
Anatomy and Physiology
Health
Integrated Science Skills
11th Grade
Astronomy
Cell Biology
Elements
Electricity & Magnetism
Environmental Science
10th Grade
Climatology
Mechanics and Kinematics
Botany
Chemistry 2
Robotics
12th Grade
Zoology and Evolution
Bio Chemistry
Science Seminar
Mathematics
In the Waldorf high school the four-year core curriculum in mathematics develops aptitude for logical, abstract thinking in a creative, challenging, and comprehensive manner. The study of mathematics provides the conceptual, computational and practical skills needed for the study of other disciplines, for success in college mathematics and science, and for the practical skills needed in life.
The Waldorf math program is designed to meet students according to their individual aptitudes, and accommodates a wide range of student needs.
Mathematics Curriculum
Algebra 1 and 2
Geometry
Precalculus
Business Math / Personal Finance and Statistics
Calculus
Discrete Mathematics / Statistics
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English
The English curriculum gives each student the opportunity to explore the universal nature of being human. The curriculum is founded on the belief that learning how to understand and communicate with others is a key responsibility of being an educated person.
Students study the great works of world literature as a tool for exploring fundamental questions of life. Similarly, Waldorf students learn how to listen, converse, and, of course, write in a clear, effective, respectful, and elegant manner.
English Curriculum
9th Grade
English 9: Creative Writing
English 9: Poetry
English 9: Writing
English 9: Close Reading
English Intensive: Comedy & Tragedy
English Intensive: Novel
11th Grade
English 11: Dante
English 11: Malcom X
English 11: Hamlet
English 11: American Literature
English Intensive: Sacred Literature
10th Grade
English 10: Academic Essay
English 10: Poetry
English 10: Frankenstein
English 10: The Double
English Intensive: Homer’s “The Odyssey”
12th Grade
English 12: Dystopian
English 12: Russian Literature
English 12: Latin American Literature
English 12: Critical Writing
History
The study of history provides the opportunity to explore what it has meant to be human in a wide variety of times, places and circumstances. The Waldorf High School offers a comprehensive American and world history program that spans the most ancient to the most modern times. Students work from primary source materials, thereby developing a sense for how past ages understood and represented themselves, as well as how they still speak to us.
History Curriculum
9th Grade
History of Consciousness: Art History
Modern World History: Revolutions
11th Grade
US Government
US History: Civil War
Latin American History
Aesthetics: History through Music
10th Grade
World History: Ancient & Medieval Societies
United States Survey History
12th Grade
World History: Modern East Asia
US History: Reform Movements
US Current Events
US History: Los Angeles
History of Consciousness: Architectural History
World Languages and Exchange Program
The high school's language program entails a comprehensive core curriculum, thereby providing all students with the opportunity to develop a broad and deep foundational understanding of the language that is college and life preparatory. Students will study the language of their choice all four years in high school, students can choose between Spanish and Mandarin. Additionally, students in 10th and 11th grade will have the opportunity to apply for the Exchange Program for a language and cultural immersion experience.
The Exchange Program allows sophomores and juniors the opportunity to spend a quarter abroad. The purpose of the exchange is to have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the daily life of another culture and experience the Waldorf curriculum in another language. PWS student is matched with a current Waldorf student in a foreign country, and both students attend each other’s school together.
Music
In our high school, music is taught as a living language through which we express ourselves and connect with others as listeners, singers, players, creators, followers, and leaders. We welcome and support students of all backgrounds, experiences, and skill level, ranging from beginners to advanced musicians. All students participate in chorus and instrumental ensembles, and every person is a vital part of our experience and sound.
In musicianship classes, students gain facility and confidence with the language of music – through experiential, improvisational, and creative work with powerful systems for understanding and creating melody, rhythm, harmony, and form. Beginning students create a working foundation of skills. Intermediate and advanced students go deeper with these materials and apply them to more complex and adventurous creative work.
We offer an elective in Music Composition and Songwriting, as well as a student-led music club. The program takes advantage of proximity to Los Angeles’ thriving music scene, and student opportunities have included collaborations with the guest composers and artists, The Songwriting School of Los Angeles. The American Composers Forum, and Sunset Chamber Music.
The Pasadena Waldorf High School Orchestra
High School Music Curriculum
A key aspect of the PWS High School music program is that all students work directly with professional musicians who compose and arrange music specifically for the interests and capabilities of the chorus and instrumental ensembles.
Full High School Chorus
Chamber Ensemble (Strings, Winds, Brass)
Percussion Ensemble
Guitar Ensemble
Musicianship (9th grade)
Musicianship II (10th grade)
Fine & Applied Arts Curriculum
At Pasadena Waldorf High School, each student works with a range of fine, applied, and technological arts. This breadth of experience provides students with technical, aesthetic, and creative challenges that deepen their self-understanding and self-confidence in ways that only the arts can provide.
Visual Arts
Black & White Drawing
Figure Drawing
Painting
Self Portrait
Technical Arts
Photography
Intro to Animation
Advanced Animation
Videography & Editing
Practical Arts
Ceramics
Jewelry Making
Botanical Arts
Woodworking
High School Theater
The study of the dramatic literature, training in acting and technical theater skills, and the producing of plays are integral to the Waldorf high school experience. Working on a play, whether as an actor or a stage technician, develops the type of self-confidence that can only arise from working in an ensemble.
Whether a student wants to pursue the arts of acting or technical theater, or simply wants to enjoy the excitement a successfully produced show offers, Pasadena Waldorf High School provides opportunities that are unparalleled in any other type of education.
Theatre Skills
10th Grade Class Play
12th Grade Class Play
Children’s Theater
College Prep Elective
College Preparatory Elective gives students the opportunity to experience a class that is focused on specific skills in preparation for college. In 11th and 12th grade, students choose from the following college preparatory electives:
Art Portfolio
Students gain a comprehensive understanding of the admissions process to the top four-year art programs and work on independent projects.
Songwriting and Music Composition
Students engage with the creative process from inspiration to completion, using music as a vehicle for personal expression and collaboration. They learn creative musical techniques through focused projects that provide the basis for a portfolio that can be used in the college application process.
Advanced Creative Writing
This course is designed to give students the opportunity to build on creative work they have undertaken in previous English classes, further developing their individual voices and skills as writers in a number of different genres. Both as readers and writers, students will examine the art of story-building with all its narrative and stylistic considerations—plot, character development, voice, dialogue, and pacing.
Advance Biology
Students study how organisms and plants relate to their environment and complete a garden-based research project; from literature research, experimental design, to execution and data analyses. At the end of the course, students will be able to recognize the struggles of organisms and how they survive and thrive.
Advanced Chemistry
Students deepen their understanding of chemistry through the study of thermochemistry, energy changes and rates of reaction, chemical systems and equilibrium, electrochemistry, and atomic and molecular structure. They will further develop problem-solving, while at the same time refining their ability to communicate scientific information.
Student Life at the High School
Pasadena Waldorf High School offers a large educational and community experience. Central to the Waldorf experience is its Healthy Social Life Program which is dedicated to ensuring that each member of the school community feels valued and heard. The Healthy Social Life Program includes an active Student Council, the proactive practicing of social inclusion, community service, peer counseling, and a Community Council of students, teachers and parents..
High School Athletics
PWS is a member of the International League of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section.
CIF sports programs for girls include Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field, and Cross Country. Boys sports include Basketball, Track & Field, and Cross Country. Students can also participate in non-CIF co-ed soccer or Flag Football.
In addition to the team sports, the physical education program takes a holistic approach by offering a wide range of activities that provide physical conditioning, healthy body awareness, social cooperation, and creative expression. PE blocks range from cooperative games, dance, bootcamp style workouts, and more.
Student Electives & Clubs
High School offers a growing set of elective and extracurricular activities that include clubs, athletic teams, and credit-earning electives. While these activities change from year to year depending on student interest, recent programs have included clubs in culinary arts, animation, dance, physics and engineering, cross-disciplinary art, music composition and songwriting, environmental activism, creative writing, and more. Through both electives and student-led clubs, students enjoy time within the daily school schedule to engage in their wider and growing interests.
Trips and Events
Every year, students participate in a wide range of trips and events. Curriculum-based botany, ecology and community service trips give students hands-on experience in a particular discipline, while recreational trips to beaches, art galleries, and even international destinations widen and enrich the students’ life experience. The high school calendar also includes many events throughout the year, including our annual Elves’ Faire, concerts, art shows, movie nights, and other activities that bring the student community together.