by Diana Tesni

A Conversation with Caitlin Rooney, WHiSTEP Graduate 2025

If you attended this year’s AWSNA conference in Toronto, you may have seen Caitlin Rooney in action. As this year’s AWSNA Conference Chair, she worked with a dedicated team of colleagues to bring this international gathering to life. We’re in luck, because she will also be coordinating the 2026 conference at High Mowing.

Caitlin first encountered anthroposophy and Rudolf Steiner’s work through community gardening and biodynamic agriculture. With a background in administration and school leadership, including serving as Administrator at the South Shore Waldorf School on Nova Scotia, Canada while completing her MBA in Leadership at Dalhousie University, she brings both organizational skill and a love of living systems to her work. Animals, always part of her daily rhythm, remind her of the importance of care, responsibility, and presence, qualities she carries into her teaching and leadership.

Her connection to Waldorf education deepened through the New Adult Learning Movement, which sparked her interest in adult education. Through her work in administration and subject teaching, Caitlin had the opportunity to experience how Waldorf Education meets the developing child on the threshold of adolescence. Experiencing her own children’s journey into middle and high school further inspired her to pursue certification through the WHiSTEP program at CfA. She is now continuing her studies toward an MEd through the CfA/Antioch Transdisciplinary Studies in Healing Education program.

Caitlin has been working with the Alumni Leadership Group to help us create a vision for how Abbot Hill could best serve our program alumni in the future.  We are so happy to have her on our team! Alongside her studies and conference coordination, Caitlin mentors Waldorf teachers and administrators and has begun guest block teaching. Looking ahead, her dream is to found a tuition-free Waldorf High School in rural Nova Scotia.

Another Alumni Conversation with Christopher Young

WHiSTEP Graduate 2025

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I am originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.  I moved to Southern Ontario when I was young, though I maintained a significant connection to my hometown through regular visits, and even returning to live and work there for a while as a young adult. I currently reside in Waterdown, Ontario, Canada.

Are you teaching?  If so, what school and what grade? 

I am presently teaching at the Halton Waldorf School in Burlington, Ontario, Canada.  I teach a variety of subjects to grades 10, 11 and 12.

What led you to Waldorf Education?

My move to Waldorf Education is part of a significant career shift.  My prior work had been entirely within professional services (accounting), and I was looking for a change that was more meaningful and in tune with who I am.  I was fortunate enough to get a teaching position at Halton Waldorf School and since that time, I have been keen to learn more about anthroposophy and Waldorf Education, so as to really understand what makes a Waldorf Education both special and different. 

What is the most important thing you learned at Waldorf Teacher Training?

I am very early in my teaching career and I know I have a lot to learn.  This is one of the reasons that brought me to teacher training in the first place.  While there, I learned many important things – it is really hard to select the ‘most important’.  If you had to pin me down to one thing, I would offer the perspective that I learned from Paul Gierlach on how we approach teaching history in a Waldorf school. This work opened the door to my better understanding of how students should experience the study of history and what key messages about the evolution of consciousness they should take away.

What did you enjoy the most/share a favourite memory or experience.

Again, there are so many amazing experiences to share!  For me, it was really about being in an environment with so many amazing faculty and other Waldorf teachers, all sharing a similar sense of purpose and commitment. I really enjoyed the drama classes we did together. I also have to say that discovering that I was able to sculpt both a human head and a full human figure was incredible – I had never done anything like that before!

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?

I really resonate with Steiner’s intention that we teach ‘living concepts’ to our students. As such,

 I am really looking forward to improving how I teach history, business and economics to my students. I really hope to be able to effectively leverage everything I have learned from my teacher training to make my students’ learning experience rich and meaningful.  

What are your hopes for the Alumni group?

I really hope the alumni group will help facilitate ongoing connections with those who have been part of the WHiSTEP program.  Any teaching resources or material that is high school specific is always helpful. I would also love to know about any events or gatherings that might be happening, as well as new or ongoing course offerings at the Center for Anthroposophy.