Almost two decades ago, three idealistic teachers sought to make a difference in Philippine education by founding the Manila Waldorf School, Inc. (MWSI) in the backyard of one of the teachers. The pedagogy of MWSI is based on the teachings of the late Austrian philosopher, Dr. Rudolf Steiner, on the development stages of childhood and adolescence. Steiner founded the very first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany amid the bitterness and ashes of post-World War I Germany. His goal was to facilitate social transformation by introducing a “healing” kind of education that would produce a better breed of men and women: people who liked to play music and paint instead of destroy, who respected nature, and who cooperated with one another.
From the very first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany over 90 years ago, Waldorf education is now one of the largest and fastest growing non-traditional educational movements in the world. Waldorf education is now present in 50 countries on 6 continents. Founded in 1994, MWSI is the pioneer school of Waldorf education in the Philippines and is a certified non-stock/non-profit educational foundation.
Despite the close bonds that exist between Waldorf schools worldwide, it is important to note that each school is totally independent. There is no “central organization” that goes about setting up schools across the globe. It is truly a non-profit movement - it spreads on its own, with the success of each school sowing the seeds of the next ones.
Waldorf schools worldwide are also typically managed by teachers and parents from the very communities they provide for. As a result of all of these, Waldorf schools are traditionally dependent on friends and donors for support. One thing that makes MWSI unique from other Waldorf schools, however, is that we have actually made ALL parents and teachers the “owners” of the school – they are all legal Members of the corporation until they leave the school.
From the backyard of one its founders, MWSI has since moved to its permanent home inside Timberland Heights, the 677 hectare eco-township project of Filinvest Land in San Mateo, Rizal. MWSI now also operates a full kindergarten to grade 12 program. Due to funding limitations, the school has been building up its facilities piece by piece. In this regard, MWSI aims to raise funds to partially support the school’s on-going improvements of its facilities and add to its teacher’s fund by holding the very first Waldorf Trail Run at Timberland Heights on January 26, 2013.
The Waldorf Trail Run at Timberland Heights is envisioned to be a nature-themed mountainside run that shall be open to both the young and old and to both the newbie and hard core runner. Amid rolling hills, forested valleys, terraced farms and unpolluted fresh air, we believe that Timberland Heights is the perfect venue for such a trail run.
Additional Info
| Run Date | Jan 26, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Run Time | TBA, AM |
| Run Venue | Timberland Heights, San Mateo Rizal |
