from the Pasadena Waldorf School
The Pasadena Waldorf School (PWS) marked its 34th opening ceremony by celebrating the beginning of a new first grade class with their teacher, Justin Loeser. The traditional Rose Ceremony occurs annually on the first day of school, providing an opportunity for the eighth grade students to welcome the first grade students from the kindergartens into the “grades” through the offering of a red rose. Each eighth grade student begins a special relationship with his or her first grade buddy and the two classes join throughout the year to spend lunches and breaks together, as well as for special activities.
The ceremony completes its full circle when the first graders return this gesture in the spring. On graduation day in the coming June, each first grader will give their special eighth grade buddy a rose to celebrate the older student’s journey into high school.