The Birth & Growth of a School 1971 - 1991
Founding - Kindergarten 1971-1974

In the beginning there was an idea, a barn and a handful of idealists. The idea was a Waldorf School, the barn was a big red structure on Pumpkin Hollow Road and the idealists were members of a Rudolf Steiner study group.

In 1959, Betty and Bernard Krainis bought a 48 1/2 acre property in Great Barrington that included an 18th century house, a cottage and a 19th century barn. Inside the barn was an enormous wood-panelled room, with fireplace, library shelves, huge windows, a kitchen and bathroom as well as an adjoining four room apartment.

Before the school opened, the barn had housed the Good Food Coop, a community endeavor, and for the school's first year in 1971 the cooperative and the kindergarten overlapped - an arrangement many today might welcome.

On January 13th, 1971, the first day of school, 12 children appeared.

They met once a week, Wednesdays, with their Waldorf trained teacher, Caroline Wilson, who regularly moved aside galvanized garbage cans full of brown rice or raw sugar, boxes of Meadowbrook tea and five pound jars of honey in order to create a proper kindergarten environment.

Our initial name, the Pumpkin Hollow School, was Caroline's inspiration and remained until 1978 when the faculty voted to call it, the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School. The opening of the school had been preceded by public meetings and lectures in the bam. Announcement of the opening, in the local Shopper's Guide, was written by Jean Zay. She spoke of "an innate sense of wonder, a desire for reverence, a fountain of artistic energy, a thirst for real values," words that still describe the unique quality of the school. Tilo Kaufmann, in his plain spoken way, remarked at the time, "I wonder if any other Waldorf School in the whole world was started by an ad in the Pennysaver."

In the early days the kindergarten was, in effect, a gallery for the creations of artist-craftsman Tilo Kaufmann. Tilo built wooden tables and stools, still in use in the nursery, as well as the delightful rocking horse with post-time, Jan. 13, 1971, carved on the base. His seven petaled rose and seven pointed star windows.in stained glass and carved wood continue to grace the kindergarten front door. Bob Norris refers to the kindergarten as "still the heart of the school."

Tilo also created, with friends, a fanciful wooden boat for an Austin Riggs production, later given to the kindergarten. Photographs show the entire enrollment of 16 children plus two teachers sitting in the boat and for years we were known by some as "the boat school".

A crucial gift from lawyer Richard Morass, in August '71 was incorporation and listing as a non-profit organization. He made us legal. Original Board members, many of them Waldorf teachers, were Gerhard Bedding, Dolores and Tilo Kaufmann, Patti Livingston, Jane Parriot, Jean and Thorn Zay and Betty Krainis.

Following the inaugural January to June part-time session, a full-time kindergarten opened its doors in September, 1971. The Board had engaged a Garden City Waldorf trained teacher conditional on an enrollment of ten children by June 15th. But by that date only two children had been enrolled, and the job fell to Betty. Though a little scared, she was thrilled at the prospect. As it happened by September there were 16 kindergarteners.

Experience? Betty's four children had attended the New York Rudolf Steiner School where she had taken teacher training and had taught part-time. She had also attended weekly seminars on the Waldorf approach to kindergarten conducted by Gladys Hahn in her kitchen at Camphill Village in Copake, NY. Gladys was a zealot when it came to detail. She took a cup and put it on a saucer so gently that there was no click, not a sound. She said one has to be just that careful when working with young children.

Fortunately, while living in New York, Betty had also taken courses at Columbia Teachers College, which enabled the school to receive a Massachusetts Day Care License.

That first year Jane Parriott worked with Betty four days a week and Dolores Kaufmann, eurythmist, one day a week. Betty met weekly with Jean Zay, her invaluable adviser, who was always there to help.

The kindergarten flourished. Enrollment grew, enthusiasm was high. When Jane left, Lorraine Venette replaced her and stayed until 1977. Though there was still only a kindergarten and a small budget, the Board met regularly to support it.

In October 1972, the Pumpkin Hollow School hosted a one of a kind Pumpkin Party. Astonishingly, over 120 children and adults turned up, ate cookies, drank cider, carved pumpkins and listened raptly while Virginia Paulsen, from the New York Steiner School, told an Irish fairy tale.

The community began to take notice. Every year people crowded into the kindergarten to hear world-renowned and spellbinding Waldorf school leader, L. Francis Edmunds. In his annual visit he offered wise guidance, inspiration and stacks of work to do - mainly on ourselves.

In April 1973, we again invited Virginia Paulsen, this time to discuss the nature of a Waldorf first grade. Virginia drove up from New York with Jill Barrett and got stuck in a freak April snowstorm. Since the storm did not affect the Berkshires, a few of us showed up and, with no lecturer, we sat around the fireplace in the kindergarten, chatting informally, among us Joseph and Ann Savage from Pittsfield who had been studying Steiner and were delighted to hear of others in the area with similar interests. Joe later became the second class teacher.

Next: Elementary School Nursery Construction 1974 - 1982