“Participation is the key to vitality and we feel like the more we volunteer and help at school, the more we get out of it for ourselves, and for (our son) Riley.”
If you’ve been involved at CWS for any length of time, you probably know Dan and Jen Bryant. For two years, Jen worked as the Office Manager at the lower school and continues to be an active volunteer. Dan has been working in the background providing IT support for years and has also taken on a leadership role with Dedicated Advocates Doing Stuff (DADS) of Waldorf.
Now Dan is excited to embark on a new adventure as a member of the CWS Board of Trustees. With a background in advertising, marketing, and video production, Dan is well-positioned to join the school’s Communications Committee and has big hopes for expanding the school’s reach and deepening our engagement with both existing and new constituencies.
“I think Waldorf is an incredible and interesting school and community that deserves to be as widely known as possible locally and in the region,” says Dan. “What I’d love to accomplish is for the Cincinnati Waldorf School and its education to be as well known and familiar to people as Cincinnati chili and Graeter’s ice cream — and just as popular!”
For Dan and Jen, their commitment to the Cincinnati Waldorf School stems from an enduring passion for the community and Waldorf education. Dan and Jen’s son, Riley, was in 2nd grade attending a local public elementary school when they began to have concerns about the amount of screen time spent in the classroom and the overall focus of the curriculum. They had heard about Waldorf education and decided to attend an open house to learn more about it.
Dan recalls that the connection was immediate: “The physical space of the building and the classrooms were welcoming and warm; the faculty was friendly, open, and informative about Waldorf education. It was an easy decision to make — Waldorf had us at hello!”
Now, as a Board member, Dan is eager to promote all the things he and Jen value about Waldorf education: “We love the head/heart/hands philosophy and how the curriculum is specifically designed to track with a child’s development and needs throughout their different stages of life. The curriculum is meticulously designed to give the students a quality, complete education, which is not delivered perfunctorily, but within an encompassing context of love and support that makes learning at Waldorf engaging, fun and ‘built to last.’”
Like so many families here, Dan and Jen also enjoy being part of the community and find that the more they give, the more they get: “Participation is the key to vitality, and we feel like the more we volunteer and help at school, the more we get out of it for ourselves, and for Riley.”
Welcome to the Board, Dan, and thank you for your commitment to CWS!