The Anchorage Waldorf School grew out of a dream in the late 1980s, when a handful of Anchorage parents and teachers began asking how education could truly serve the whole child (head, heart, and hands). Inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner and the growing Waldorf movement across North America, they envisioned a school that would bring imagination, beauty, and purpose into the lives of children in Alaska.

At the heart of this vision was Mary Lee Plumb-Mentjes, an early childhood educator and tireless advocate for Waldorf education. Mary Lee loved to share with others her lifelong commitment to Steiner’s ideas, and her listeners soon came to realize that she had a parallel career in anthroposophy. This lifetime interest was sparked by a college co-op job at Camphill Village in New York, one of a network of anthroposophical communities where intellectually disabled people are integrated into the life of a whole community.

Before coming to Alaska, Mary Lee worked with a group that eventually founded a Waldorf school in New Orleans. Once in Anchorage, she introduced Waldorf education to the public and led training courses in Waldorf philosophy, planting seeds of interest and understanding that would grow into a school. Her vision and unfailing dedication helped launch the Aurora Waldorf School, Alaska’s first Waldorf school, and guide it through its first 25 years.

Mary Lee was the school’s first Board President and served on the Board for its first 21 years, helping to shape the legal, fiduciary, managerial, and pedagogical foundations of a young independent school. She taught classes, supported the school financially, and guided programs for students and teachers. She organized community festivals, established a school bookstore, and regularly brought nationally known educators and psychologists to Alaska to enrich the community. The teacher training she initiated in Anchorage became a model and inspiration for Waldorf education throughout the state. She even built international bridges, creating strong partnerships with Waldorf schools and communities in Russia.

Alongside Mary Lee stood other committed founders: Patricia (Patty) Coe, a parent who organized the early study groups and helped establish the school’s first administrative structure; and Mary Stewart, who opened her home to playgroups, gathered families together, and invited visiting teachers from the Lower 48 to Anchorage. Together with a circle of pioneering families, they transformed vision into reality.

The Aurora Years

In 1989, the school opened its doors as the Aurora Waldorf School with a single mixed-age kindergarten class. The name “Aurora” reflected both the beauty of Alaska’s northern lights and the dawn of a new kind of education in the state. The school quickly became a gathering place for families seeking a nurturing and creative learning environment.

Within two years, Aurora expanded into the elementary grades. By the mid-1990s, the school was serving children from kindergarten through grade eight. In those years, the community worked tirelessly to secure buildings, raise funds, and provide teacher training, all while weaving Waldorf traditions — seasonal festivals, music, art, and handwork — into daily life.

Becoming Anchorage Waldorf School

As the school matured, it sought to clarify its identity within the wider community. To honor both its location and its connection to the worldwide Waldorf movement, the school eventually changed its name to Anchorage Waldorf School. This transition marked a new chapter: the small initiative that began in living rooms and rented spaces had become a recognized independent school, rooted in Anchorage yet connected to Waldorf schools across the globe.

Growth, Challenges, and Resilience

Like many independent schools, Anchorage Waldorf faced challenges — financial hurdles, changing enrollment patterns, and the need to balance vision with sustainability. Through it all, the community’s resilience and dedication allowed the school to endure and adapt. Teachers deepened their training, the curriculum grew richer, and the school continued to cultivate creativity, curiosity, and reverence for life in every child.

Today

Today, more than three decades after its founding, the Anchorage Waldorf School continues to thrive as a nonprofit independent school serving children from early childhood through grade eight. Its curriculum remains faithful to Rudolf Steiner’s vision: balancing strong academics with music, movement, foreign languages, outdoor education, and the arts.

From the first kindergarten circle in 1989 to the vibrant classrooms of today, Anchorage Waldorf School stands as a living testimony to the dedication of its founders. Their courage, creativity, and vision planted a seed that continues to grow — nurturing children in Anchorage to meet the world with curiosity, compassion, and confidence.