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Pine Forest Charter School recently celebrated its 30th anniversary as it continues its plans of educating and adapting to the needs of the children it teaches.

The Flagstaff charter school uses the Waldorf method to teach students from preschool through eighth grade.

Waldorf education, which was established in 1919, is meant to encourage the development of the whole child through a mix of academics and practical and artistic activities, according to Pine Forest's website. Arizona has seven Waldorf schools, according to Cindy Roe, Pine Forest's director of operations.

Pine Forest first started in 1995. Some of the school's founders were at the anniversary celebration April 4-6, along with about 100 alums.

The weekend featured a variety of activities, including a dance party, classroom showcase and several "remember when" arts and crafts activities. 

Roe has led the school since the 2018-2019 school year and spent the majority of her career working in Waldorf schools.

“I feel the children really know who they are,� she said of the impact of this style of education. “They have had the opportunity to explore their world. � We’re not just shoving stuff in their brain. They are exploring a child’s world, all the way up to 14, and we consciously bring to them at their development stage what is right for them. � Children leave us knowing who they are and what they want to do in the world.�

Continuing to educate

Over the next 30 years, Roe said, the school plans to continue its work educating Flagstaff students and respond to their changing needs.

“We are in the curriculum, we are meeting the children and continuing to approach the kids as they’re coming to us,� she said. 

Right now, she said that looks like adapting to the widespread availability of the internet and social media to “give them capacities to problem-solve strategically and be involved in the world in an engaged way.� Children are exposed to a wide range of information from a young age, Roe said, adding that Pine Forest has been responding to this by meeting students where they’re at developmentally.

“Just acknowledging that we all have a development that we’re going through to not turn that off for children, to really acknowledge and be aware that children are children,� she said. � ... I see children come here and they soften, and they wake up and they’re self-aware and aware of the other.�

The school has kids create their own hand-written and illustrated version of textbooks, for example, as a way to ensure they are learning through understanding rather than memorization. Each classroom has a chalkboard for illustrations from the students as well as the instructional materials.

Earlier this week, the sixth grade class was getting ready for the Arizona Medieval Games, an event for the state’s Waldorf schools meant to teach students about medieval and renaissance history through hands-on activities.

Roe said Pine Forest also has a goal of becoming “a flagship school� for Waldorf education in Arizona, as seen in student outcomes. She said the educational method leads to creative thinkers rather than taking a linear approach to the world.

As with other local schools, she said ESA vouchers and enrollment are current challenges for Pine Forest. The school has been advertising and working to convince parents of the value of an in-person education that allows for interpersonal connection and teaches social skills along with academics. 

Pine Forest currently has 220 students from early-education classes through eighth grade, and, according to Roe, it has the capacity to add more. Pre-pandemic, its enrollment was around 270, with two classrooms for each grade level.

The school is currently planning some additions to its property, as construction on the new roundabout at the corner of Fourth Street and Lockett Road is currently underway.

Pine Forest is planning to add to the corner of its property on that intersection a curved wall, which will serve as both a visual and sound barrier. It will also include a new school sign on the outside, and the school’s students are voting on a mascot (either the Dragons or the Pegasi), with which the school hopes to decorate the bell tower on top of its building.

"[We] appreciate serving Flagstaff for sure," Roe said. "Come visit, come see the beauty and experience something."

More about Pine Forest can be found at .