Sarah Arnold

Northeast Woodland Chartered Public School, Conway, NH

Sarah Arnold is a lifelong educator. She has an undergraduate degree from Harvard in French Language and Civilization and a Master’s in Elementary Education from Lesley University. Sarah has taught in the elementary grades in Massachusetts and Nevada. She was drawn to Waldorf education through seeking a developmentally aware early childhood program for her own children. This yearning led to her participation in the founding of Evergreen Garden Playschool (EGP). Sarah completed her Waldorf Early Childhood teacher training at Sunbridge Institute, becoming a teacher and later the Director of EGP.

Through a desire to bridge the worlds of Waldorf education and public education, Sarah became active in the work of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, eventually joining the Board and becoming the Public Policy and Outreach Coordinator for WECAN. Sarah was active in this work from 2015-2020.  In this role, Sarah became a member of the Ideal Learning Round Table (sponsored by the Trust for Learning) in 2017. The work with WECAN, the Ideal Learning Round Table, and the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education led to the founding of the Waldorf Associations Working Group, which is a forum for communication across the three North American Waldorf Associations: WECAN, the Alliance, and AWSNA.

This same desire led to Sarah enrolling at Wheelock School of Education, Boston University, in a Doctor of Education program focusing in Human Development - Language and Literacy in 2015. The onset of COVID-19 in the Spring of 2020 brought many changes to Sarah’s life. Sarah’s dissertation research was put on hold by the closing of schools, and the opportunity to join Northeast Woodland Chartered Public School as the initial Head of School arose.

Sarah worked with the founding board of Northeast Woodland to successfully open the school in the Fall of 2020. The school welcomed 130 students at the opening, meeting its initial goal, and was able to stay in person for the entire year. The school serves children in pre-k through 8th grade. Northeast Woodland is now finishing out its third year of operation. The school currently has 168 students enrolled, 9 teachers engaging in Waldorf teacher training through Antioch, New England, and has developed an exciting Outdoor Education program for students in Grades 1 through 8.