“It lies off the beaten track, but not too far. It is on the top of a hill, but not too high. [...] At the top of the rise swings a wide welcoming circle of brown buildings crowning the top of the hill--the end of the journey. Not too far, not too high--but high enough for breadth of view and far enough for perspective on a busy world and a frantic struggle to get somewhere. Far enough and high enough to lead to a finding of values and goals, enhanced by the beauty of nature and the swing of the sun, moon and stars over the endless quiet of the hills. A structure founded on the inspiration given by Rudolf Steiner as he built a school for modern youth at Stuttgart, Germany, in 1919. This is High Mowing.”

~From Farm to School, by Beulah Emmet

High Mowing School was founded in 1942 by Beulah Hepburn Emmet, whose vision, determination, and generosity created a fertile soil for the ongoing growth of this unique and dynamic school. Mrs. Emmet, as she was known to the community, found Rudolf Steiner’s work through her colleague from Edgewood School. This colleague, Hermann von Baravalle, was one of the original teachers at the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Germany and he shared with Mrs. Emmet a great deal from his experience of having worked directly with Rudolf Steiner. When a number of faculty members from Edgewood School left in search of greater pedagogical freedom, Mrs. Emmet felt called to gather those colleagues and offer her family’s property for the founding of a new school which was inspired by Steiner’s vision for education. Mrs. Emmet described this deed as an effort to meet the deep needs of the students of that time, and to answer the questions asked by and implicit in the young.