Grade 5 Olympics: On truth, grace and beauty
In Waldorf schools, the three day Olympics at the end of fifth grade, is a rite of passage of sorts. Based loosely on the Ancient Greek Olympics, it is a culmination of grade five’s Greek mythology block. In the Waldorf system, grade five is often thought of as the ‘Golden Year’ of childhood. What better way to celebrate this than with an athletic event that encourages students to strive for truth, grace and beauty in every event they take part in.
As the children are introduced to Ancient Greece and its heroes, they are also introduced to the four cities they will be a part of for the duration of the event – Sparta, Athens, Ithaca and Crete. Each child is mapped to a city based on their temperament and skill. Athens for the speakers and those who strive for perfection, Ithaca for the one who seek adventure, Crete for the ones who crave intellectual stimulation, and Spartans for those who take challenges head on.
The evening of the games, a grand Greek feast is held in the honour of the olympians. This year, Yellow train welcomed children from four other Waldorf schools in the South zone – Tatva, Advaya Shale, Bangalore Steiner School, Aikya and Kingdom of Childhood. A total of 141 students feasted on Greek salad, apple slice case, pita and hummus and a host of other dishes. After all, they needed the strength for their early start the next morning.
The morning began with a display of all the events - a preliminary round where every child took part in showcasing their skill in every event - style run, discus, javelin, long jump and wrestling. Having spent close to six months perfecting their skills in all the displays, the grade five children were a feast to watch. The second day saw a few children from every city proceed to the final round from where one was honoured with a wreath for their skill in each event. The parents were equally enthusiastic as slogans in English and Tamil rang through the ground.
This post is a brief expose on the background of the Waldorf Olympics. To witness what it means to the children, parents and teachers of grade 5 as they celebrate this milestone moment is a sight to behold.