Students and teachers at the Tucson Waldorf School have more elbow room now that four new classrooms have opened at the campus, 3605 E. River Road.
The school is holding a building dedication and open house Saturday.
The new classrooms are part of a four-phase expansion project for the River Bend campus that the school has been working on since 2009.
Rebecca Briamonte, who is in charge of enrollment at the school, said before the additions, the school had six classrooms.
The new space is a vital part of students' education, Briamonte said.
"The new buildings are exceptionally beautiful," she said. "The environment the children are in is a part of the Waldorf education."
The first phase of the project, which included buying land and renovating existing buildings, is complete.
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The new classrooms were part of the project's second phase, which also will involve building a new kitchen and a nursery bathroom for the Early Childhood program, and more parking.
According to the project consultant, Laura Alexander, while donations so far have totaled $3.3 million, the school still needs around $150,000 to complete the second phase.
"Being an independent school, we've been a small school, and this is a big step for us," said Michael Wright, who teaches eighth grade there. "It's an exciting time for the school."
Phases three and four will include more complex plans such as building a new playground and a large gymnasium.
"We've got at least $5 million of more work to do to get the full school up and running," Alexander said.
Currently, the school has 140 students, but the building additions will allow the school to accommodate more.
"Hopefully more and more people will come, and that's what our goal is," Wright said.
The Tucson Waldorf School recognizes the plans may take time to become reality.
"We're looking 50 years down the road," Wright said. "It keeps me hopeful for the future."
Most of the funding for the project has come from donations, Briamonte said.
"We've done this all without getting into debt," she said.
The Tucson Waldorf School is one of hundreds of Waldorf schools in the country. What sets them apart from other schools is their teaching methods.
"The process is all about the doing. Everything is done in a hands-on, artistic way," Briamonte said.
Briamonte said Waldorf students are not stressed out by learning and genuinely love knowledge.
"Where you see how effective our education is, is in our eighth-graders. They are so comfortable with themselves and their abilities," she said.
The school accepts students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Tuition ranges from $2,000 a year to a little over $8,000, but financial aid is widely available.
"We're committed to not turning any family away for financial reasons," Briamonte said.
If you go
• What: Tucson Waldorf School building dedication and open house.
• When: 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday
• Where: River Bend Campus, 3605 E. River Road
• Info: For enrollment questions, or to visit the campus at a time other than during the open house, call Rebecca Briamonte at 325-5514.
Krystal Jenkins is a University of Arizona journalism student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact her at starapprentice@azstarnet.com or 807-7776.
