by David Barham

Michael Holdrege has taught in CfA’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program (WHiSTEP) for 17 years. He has taught the Life Sciences subject seminar and other courses to the high school trainees. David Sloan has taught in WHISTEP for 27 years, leading the English subject seminar and Drama classes. Both of these irreplaceable teachers are stepping back from the program to turn to new chapters in their own personal and professional lives and creating spaces for a next generation of WHiSTEP instructors to step forward. (see the text of David’s Graduation speech from July 27 this summer in this issue of Center & Periphery). 

With tremendous gratitude and equally tremendous sadness, we bid farewell to both Michael & David. As we wrote in a farewell song to both this summer, 

They spent five decades in the lab and the classroom,
A whole life transforming the world

With utter joy and delight, we are pleased to announce that Jake Gerber will be joining WHiSTEP as the new Life Sciences teacher. Jacob is a recent graduate himself of WHiSTEP, and the only student  in the program’s history to triple-track (in mathematics, physical sciences & life sciences). Jake has taught at the Coastal Waters public charter school in NH, at Rudolf Steiner School in New York city, and beginning this school year, at Desert Sage High School in Tucson, Arizona. Jake received his undergraduate degree in biology at Furman University and his Master’s degree in Consciousness Studies and Transpersonal Psychology from The Graduate Institute.

We are equally delighted to welcome Nathan Wilcox to WHiSTEP as the new English subject seminar and Drama teacher. Nathan has taught English, history and drama at the Waldorf School of San Diego since founding its high school in 2008. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Pomona College in Claremont, California, and Jesus College in Cambridge, England. He completed his Waldorf High School teacher training in literature at Rudolf Steiner College under the direction of Betty Staley and John Wulsin.

Jake & Nathan join Marisha Plotnik (Mathematics), Cedar Oliver (Physics & Chemistry), Michal Noer (Arts) & Paul Gierlach (History) as WHiSTEP’s subject seminar teachers. 

Welcome aboard Jake & Nathan. We could not be any more excited about the future!