Update: Building a Better Library

The bookshelves at Cedarwood hold a significantly more diverse collection of titles this year, thanks to the support of our community!

Over the summer of 2021, teachers in the early childhood program through grade 8 took time to catalog and assess the books we had available for students — both as class readers and as options for free reading. Your donations of books have made such a difference!

Thank you to the following donors for their contributions to our libraries:

Erin Barnes
Ashley Benson
Diane Bradley
Melody Brown
Kelly Campbell
Amber Clayton
Mindy Clark
Erin Cooley
Alexandra Cubitt
Marcia Cuendet
Adrienne Dale
Evan Elkin
Alison Freeman
Amanda Jenkins

Amanda Jenkins
Carley Kahn
Sara Kersey
Honora Kobos
Shawn Macalester
Tara Miner
Caroline Onzik
Heather Palonder
Darya Rose
William Rutledge
Elisa Saphier
Kailey Schleich
Elisa Spano
Jessica Wade

Cedarwood also received a very special donation from a set of grandparents in our community:

The idea to purchase books about diversity for Cedarwood’s library began with thinking about our grandson, who is a kindergartener. Being concerned about the division and observable lack of tolerance regarding people, cultures, and different life experiences in our country, we initially intended to build his home library each year with age-appropriate books regarding these matters.

After some thought about where and how to begin, we felt it would be nice to have these books reach more children than only our grandson. So, last spring we reached out to Cedarwood’s DEIJ Committee and told them that we wished to make a donation to the school library. We asked them to have all teachers prepare lists of grade appropriate books that had stories with lessons about the meaning of diversity, patience, tolerance, and how to keep an open mind. The Committee, taking into consideration all the teachers’ choices, selected over 35 titles.

We would like to dedicate these books to our grandson, as well as all the children at Cedarwood Waldorf School.

~ Francine Warkow & James T. Price

We are so very grateful to Fran and Jim for their generous gift to the children of Cedarwood. The work of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice is ongoing in our school — as it is in our country. Ensuring representation of all people and cultures in the stories we engage with is an important step towards a better future.