Happy 40th Birthday LCWS!

On this Day of Giving, we are thrilled to celebrate our school's 40th birthday with all of YOU!

We feel tremendous gratitude for our students, their families, and our faculty and staff—now and from years past! Each one of YOU makes up our wonderful community. With so much gratitude for your role in the story of our school, we look to the future. Your generosity helps ensure that our school can serve our community now and for years to come. Can we count on your support on this special day?

Fun perks and incentives!

☀️ For all donors who set up monthly donations of $20 OR make a $240 gift today, you will receive a sunshine mug commemorating our 40th year!
☀️ For all donors who set up monthly donations of $40 OR or make a $400 gift, you will receive a mug and a tote bag!
☀️ For EVERY gift received, donors will be entered into our Rainbow Birthday Quilt Raffle!
☀️ And today, your gift will be matched up to $25,000!

Every gift to Lake Champlain Waldorf School is meaningful and important! As a donor, you directly support our educational programs, our amazing faculty, and the beautiful campuses that are home to our community. We are committed to inspiring a strong culture of philanthropy and community engagement, which are essential elements in supporting a high-quality, independent school education and the healthy growth of our school.

A look back...

Forty years ago, a small group of dedicated parents came together with a dream—to create a school that nurtured the whole child. Today, we celebrate the incredible journey of our Waldorf school in Shelburne, Vermont, as we mark four decades of inspired education, a thriving community, and a steadfast commitment to fostering creativity, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning.

Lake Champlain Waldorf School Trivia

What Shelburne building housed the first LCWS classroom? LCWS began in a rented space in Trinity Church in Shelburne, as a preschool group started by parents

What year did it form? In 1984 (preschool group) or 1985 (registered as a school)

Who was the first class teacher? Michele Starr, who was an Early Childhood teacher, who then taught grades 1-8

How did we get the land on which the lower school campus sits? Donated by a grandparent, sold by the Nature Conservancy--one of the few sales of conserved land in Vermont, because of the school’s environmental mission

How was the forested land cleared for the early childhood building? With draught horses, by a woman-owned company, to preserve the wetlands

Name a well known Vermont company founded by LCWS parents: Gardener’s Supply, Seventh Generation

What was special about how the school was built? The foundation and framing were put up, then it was built one classroom at a time, by parents, the summer before each new grade was added, led by Lindsay Francescutti’s dad, Charlie Graham, a builder by trade.

What was the tall section of the grade school building intended to be? A bell tower, part of an intended library.

Where did the first eighth grade class trip go? Washington D.C

What festival was celebrated for 30 years at the school with dancing and cake? Mardi Gras

How many exterior doors are in the lower school (blue) building? 18

When was the amphitheater built? Completed in spring of 2020 (just in time for outdoor assemblies during the Covid pandemic!)

When did the high school begin and where? In 2001, in the former Charlotte Creamery

What color was the original high school building? Red (see the painting in the current high school)

How was it possible that many of the first high school students arrived by train? The school was across from a train stop on a short line that had passenger service from Burlington to Charlotte

What did the current upper school school building used to be? The National Museum of the Morgan Horse

When did the seventh and eighth grade move from the Turtle Lane to the Bostwick campus? 2021-22

What was the shed next to the Sports Court originally designed for? Blacksmithing

What is special about the sashes that seniors wear when they graduate? Each graduate embroiders their name on a sash alongside names of alumni

Chris Diehl-Noble is the longest teaching teacher currently working at our school. In what grade was Head of School Emily Bayer-Pacht when Mr. Diehl-Noble began teaching at LCWS? Sixth grade

Day of Giving: April 4, 2025

Celebrating 40 Years of LCWS!