The Denver Waldorf School Podcast

Our podcast is back! This season, DWS School Director Kelly Molinet and Educational Director Charlie Orphanides launch a new series exploring the increasing relevance of Waldorf education within broader educational trends and research from around the world. This series begins by asking: what's up with screens in education? This question is prompted by a recent Washington Post article penned by a pair of university professors and entitled, "What Elementary Schools Are Slowly Learning About Screens: Technology Came to 'Optimize' Education. Young Children Pay a Heavy Price." Using this article as a jumping off point, Kelly and Charlie cover a wide array of topics, including how Waldorf education builds the human capacity to learn and thrive in an ever-changing world.

On this week's episode, we turn over the mic to four seniors at The Denver Waldorf High School! In this candid conversation, these students share their perspectives on being well-prepared and well-supported to thrive in college and beyond. With one student describing DWS high school as "the best years of my education by far," this discussion covers everything from the unique structure of our high school honors curriculum, to their feelings going through the college application process, to the lessons they will take forward from their time at DWS. We are grateful for these four students for sharing their wisdom and experiences!

What if college readiness wasn’t just about getting into college - but about knowing who you are and where you’re headed?In this week’s episode, “What’s up with College Preparedness?” School Director Kelly Molinet explores how The Denver Waldorf School prepares our high school students to thrive in college and far beyond. She’s joined by Adam Newman, DWS High School Mathematics and Physics Teacher, and Meeri Baldwin, DWS Next Steps Coach, as they dive into the shared belief that the true purpose of education is to cultivate free-thinking, healthy human beings.Listen in to find out how our high school experience reveals to students how to identify their passions and share them confidently with the world. From hands-on support with college essays and career practicums to transformational senior projects, the Next Steps program alongside the full DWS high school experience equips students not just for college acceptance, but for meaningful, thriving lives well beyond our campus.

"Real inclusion happens when there is an understanding that everybody needs something different to learn." That is the message from School Director Kelly Molinet in this week's episode, "What's up with Student Support?" For this conversation, Kelly is joined by the Director of Student Support, Andrea Weid, to explore DWS' commitment to removing barriers to ensure that all students -- including those who approach learning in a neurodiverse manner -- can engage in the curriculum with enthusiasm and joy. Together with a dedicated team of support specialists, Andrea and Kelly discuss how the school creates an inclusive on-ramp to learning.

What's up with artificial intelligence at the Denver Waldorf School?  On this week's episode, Charlie Orphanides (current 8th grade teacher) sits down with Talon Poole (IT Director and high school teacher) for a wide-ranging conversation about AI. Together, they explore the functions and limits of AI's ability to recognize patterns and draw conclusions, while also considering human responsibility, morality, and even consciousness. As Talon notes, being human can be a superpower in an increasingly AI-driven world. Listen to learn more about how our Waldorf approach sets up our students to excel in this ever-changing environment.

On this week's episode, School Director Kelly Molinet sits down with our interim education director, Betsy Doyle White, and current 8th grade class teacher, Charlie Orphanides. As many of you know, Charlie was our education director last year and transitioned to be the 8th grade teacher for the 2025-26 school year. As Charlie dives back into the role of Waldorf class teacher, we thought a discussion on "What's Up with Being a Waldorf Teacher" would be a natural opening for this new school year! Together, they share what it means to be a Waldorf teacher, what training is required, the freedom and responsibility in delivering our curriculum, and the inner and lifelong work they pursue for their own development. We like to say that our students are our curriculum -- and that is only made possible by teachers who view education as their true calling, who reflect deeply on how best to meet their students each and every day, and who embrace that elusive quality of "teacherness" to remain curious and connect meaningfully with their students.

What's up with Waldorf education at DWS over the next 50 years? That is the question that DWS school founder Ina Jaehnig addresses in this week's episode. Together with School Director Kelly Molinet and Education Director Charlie Orphanides, they start by discussing what makes or does not make Waldorf education what it is. As they then look to the future for what this education will hold, they look at the children of today. Where are they? In what world do they live? As they examine these questions together, they emphasize the necessity of an education grounded in the beauty of language, an embrace of artistic work that enlivens the imagination, and a deep commitment to love for humanity.

In honor of our school's 50th anniversary, DWS Educational Director Charlie Orphanides sits down with long-time Waldorf educator and administrator Betsy Doyle White to discuss how relevant and vital Waldorf education is in today's times just as it was more than a century ago. Betsy shares her thirty-plus years' worth of experience to reflect on Waldorf education's founding principles and evolution through the years. Recognizing that education is an art form that teaches not just the intellect but the whole human, Charlie and Betsy explore how the DWS curriculum integrates foundational principles while innovating and expanding the curriculum to meet the needs of an ever-changing student body.

In past episodes, we've heard Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss what makes our Waldorf high such an engaging, unique, and fulfilling experience. But what do our students have to say about our high school? This week, we are grateful to five of our high school students for running the show and sharing all about their high school experience. They candidly talk about our school culture, the unique relationships they share with our teachers, their workload, and how they feel their Waldorf education has prepared them for life beyond our doors. It is always a great gift for us to be able to hear our students reflect on their educational journey with gratitude and joy!

There is a lot of talk of wonder at The Denver Waldorf School. As we celebrate our school's 50th anniversary this year, wonder has been the theme throughout - for our "Wonders of Waldorf" Michaelmas event, for our annual giving campaign to "The Wonder Fund," and for our upcoming gala celebrating "50 Years of Wonder." In this week’s episode, Kelly Molinet (School Director) and Charlie Orphanides (Education Director) discuss the deeper underpinnings of this concept of wonder and how it is beneath all that we do in Waldorf education. They will also share how we as parents can support the cultivation of wonder in our children, and how wonder is a necessity for true knowledge to develop.