Green Meadow Waldorf School Takes On Student Stress, the Education System, and "Teaching to the Test" October 26, 2010

Innovative nursery-to-grade-12 school opens up discussion with the screening of "Race to Nowhere"

CHESTNUT RIDGE, NY - Green Meadow Waldorf School is opening up dialogue about a nation of overstressed teens on Tuesday, Oct. 26, with a screening of "Race to Nowhere."
The 85-minute documentary, which shows across the country on Tuesday, spotlights the pressures faced by U.S. schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform.
From stress-related illnesses and depression to chronic cheating and burnout, the documentary chronicles the heartbreaking tales of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are exhausted and worried that students aren't developing skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what's best for their kids.
"This is a silent epidemic in our nation's schools. Overstressed kids are heading off to college or the workplace unprepared and uninspired," said Ivy Greenstein, the school's Director of Outreach. "We all want our children to grow up happy, healthy and well-educated. As a nation, we're failing to do just that."
"We decided to host this screening at Green Meadow because it is important to our school community and sheds light on educational and societal issues we all face," Greenstein noted.
Nearly 350 students from 13 counties and almost 90 towns attend the independent school. Located about 20 miles north of New York City, Green Meadow serves students from nursery school through grade 12.
WHAT: Screening of education documentary "Race To Nowhere"

WHERE: Green Meadow Waldorf School, 307 Hungry Hollow Rd., Chestnut Ridge

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m.

COST: $10 in advance / $15 at the door

Waldorf education is the fastest-growing independent school movement worldwide, with 300 schools in the U.S. and nearly 1,000 around the world. The curriculum is based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, who founded the first Waldorf School in Germany in 1919. Green Meadow offers developmentally based, challenging academic coursework infused with the arts. Students are exposed to diverse disciplines and can choose traditional classes such as modern languages and sciences while also learning practical arts, such as knitting, blacksmithing, and woodworking. The school also limits the use of technology and media for younger students, which is now understood by researchers as essential to the developing brain.

Green Meadow graduates go on to top colleges, and the school prides itself on its multicultural community; students come from a wide range of socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
For more information and to schedule interviews:contact Ivy Greenstein, Director of Outreach,igreenstein@gmws.org or 845-356-2514, extension 330.

About Green Meadow School and the Waldorf education:Founded in Germany in 1919 by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf Education now includes schools on every continent. Green Meadow Waldorf School is an accredited full member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), an association that strengthens and supports Waldorf schools and informs the public of the benefits of Waldorf education. Green Meadow is also an accredited member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), a voluntary association of more than 140 independent schools in the state of New York.
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