Our memories of Michael Hall Waldorf School

Can you believe it, some of you might not know, 
That us staff members were once Michael Hall students quite some years ago.

Between us we have memories spanning generations
Of a time when there were no fences or locked gates
When there were many more wooden huts as teaching spaces on this magnificent estate!
Of times before the wonderful gym or the theatre were built.
Memories of breaking the ground for laying the foundations to this  theatre,
And the first ever assembly even before there were any seats to sit on, only concrete steps
Memories of gym lessons in the current Library!
Memories of burying the dodecahedron under the gym foundation!

We were able to learn to swim in the numbing Blue Pool,
Spending endless summer days around the Top Lake staying cool,
Swinging in on the rope and dropping down into the murky brown water
Then sadly it was out of bounds in Autumn as the days grew shorter

Can you imagine in the midst of an icy winter, on the frozen Bottom Lake,
Waiting eagerly for the all clear, we were allowed to play and even ice skate -
Bringing our school chairs we would push each other around – 
Slipping and sliding, as excitement and laughter would resound.

In the beautiful grounds, apple trees once grew in the lower school playground
We -
Played in the iron spring and forest stream.
Sun bathed by the radiant rhododendrons.
Flew across the valley field on the Flying Fox,
Then the unforgettable hurricane of 1987 closed the school! 
Impassable roads strewn with fallen trees, like match sticks. 

Sometimes we didn’t follow the rules,
Behaved as was not acceptable at school,
Got sent to the teachers room to get a ‘pink slip’
To record our misbehaviour, the detail of the trick
And if we needed to make amends
There was the dreaded Saturday detention!

Kindergarten!
The delicious waft of baking bread!
Kindergarten!
Far-flung expeditions to the fairy mount and all the way to the “top of the world” 
Never without a bucket of muesli!

Amazing class trips punctuate our memories -
To the Goetheanum in Basel,
Camping in the lush English countryside,
To Paris on the newly opened Eurostar,
Long ambling walks collecting flowers,
And of course, the iconic Italy trip in Class 12!
Learning about the exquisite art,
Sublime singing in Italy – goosebump memories! 

Weekly school assemblies;
Abounding with seasonal school songs,
The Shepherd’s, Paradise and King’s play. 
Camaraderie performing in plays, junior choir and operettas!
The Class 12 play,
What can we say!
Costumes, lighting, make-up and hairspray!
The ultimate culmination!

Oh, the joy of the Midsummer Festival!
The pageant, the glorious plays on the outdoor stage,
The evocative sound of the brass band playing on the balcony of the mansion terrace,
Knights in armour on REAL horses! 
Mustering courage, daring to jump the bright St John's fire.

For the generations of our children’s children to come,
We hope they may be standing here, 
Knowing the love that imbued their foundations.

Whilst we embrace the modern world
Together we stand - nurturing
With light and strength united,
Guiding,
A deep wish for the school to flourish further
In freedom, goodness, truth and beauty.