As another incredible year at Camphill Academy comes to a close, it is hard not to be amazed at everything our students, faculty and community have accomplished together. This year we welcomed 24 full-time and 8 part-time first-year students, 18 full-time and 2 part-time second-years, 9 paraprofessional interns, 6 full-time and 1 part-time third-years, 6 full-time and 2 part-time fourth-years, and 8 fifth-year students completing their professional internships across 6 campus communities. That’s a grand total of countless lessons learned, friendships formed, coffee consumed and hours crammed finishing assignments. Every class brought its curiosity, energy and unforgettable moments.
To celebrate the journey we have shared and the people who make our community so meaningful, we are honored to close with a poem written by one of our students for this year’s Academy ending celebration. It will remind us where we have been, inspire us where we are going, and give us one more reason to smile before we turn the page to a new year.
Sophia
In the valley of time, there stands a tree
Warmth flickers through the branches
And light reaches out to each limb, every leaf
The tree has not yet reached its full potential
In some ways, it is young and fresh
and in others it is old and wise
It is a tree of life, growth, and opportunity
We shall call her Sophia.
Beneath the soil where shadows dance
and secrets sleep, lie the roots
deep, strong, and grounding.
Here we find the messages of Steiner
the wisdom sown in soil of thought
the foundation of anthroposophy
Where every word is a seed,
each idea is a current of life
Here the roots drink deeply
drawing up the nourishment
that continues to lift the tree toward the sky
From the roots, the trunk rises
tall and steadfast, a pillar of strength
Here we find the teachers, the guides,
the mentors, the living bridges
between idea and soul
With patience, they shape the growth,
each lesson a ring in the wood.
They stand firm, yet reaching ever upward
Their growth stretching toward the unknown
From the trunk, the branches spread wide,
each one a different place of learning.
There is a quiet classroom in the hills
where morning mist cradles the thoughts
of students.
There is a sunlit garden by the river
where hands work the earth, and
hearts grow with light.
Each branch is a school, a community
a branch of the greater tree of anthroposophy
where the work of healing and learning
unfolds.
Upon the branches, the leaves dance in the breeze
Each one a unique shade of green
Bright and teaming with potential
Each one drinking in the light
Some are young, wide-eyed with wonder
eager to absorb the wisdom of the world.
Others are older, their edges softened
by experience, their presence, a testament to resilience
Together, they rustle in the wind
Each leaf a story
Together, a tapestry of souls, a part of
the tree’s eternal becoming
Dear Sophia, tree of healing and hope
Your roots are the past
Your trunk is the present
Your branches are the future
and your leaves are the living breath
May you stand strong and proud in this
valley of time
a beacon for those who seek to heal,
to learn
to grow,
and to become.
