Here are some of our 2022, 8th grade student reflections.

I joined Tamarack in the Rainbow Garden and it was my first school. I will either go to St. Francis or Tenor High School. My favorite memory from Tamarack is in the Rainbow Garden where my preschool friends and I traded random things. I will miss hanging out with my friends at recess but can't wait for high school. My goal for the future is to graduate and go on to college for electrical and mechanical engineering and travel the world. I would like to thank everyone who helped me get to this point in my life: my grandparents, my friends, and most of all, my mom. - Blake Copeland

My first year at Tamarack I was in the Firefly Garden and before starting Firefly Garden I attended Lifeways Early Childhood Center. I've spent around 9 years at Tamarack, and after this year I'll start attending Milwaukee High School of the Arts, or St. Francis High School. In the future I want to fist bump a chimp and make money, because, as the Wu-Tang Clan once said, “Cash rules everything around me.” On a more serious note, I would like to pursue my passions and keep in touch with my friends from Tamarack. The highlight of my time at Tamarack has to be goofing off with my friends at recess, or the last days of school before summer break. The things I will miss most about Tamarack are my friends and classmates. I would like to thank all my teachers for supporting not only me, but every student at Tamarack through the years. - Elliot Stugard

I have been at Tamarack since kindergarten where I was in Flower Garden. I will be attending Milwaukee High School of the Arts next year. It will be sad to leave Tamarack and I will miss getting so much outside time and time to be with my friends. I don’t have many plans for my future, yet, but I would like to pursue my passion for ice skating, hockey, and playing the trumpet. I also wish to have a bull dog. I would like to thank my mom for helping me with my homework or projects if I ever needed help with them. - Oswald Lawson

I have been attending Tamarack Waldorf School since Rainbow Garden with Ms. Katie, and will be attending Dominican High School next year. I will leave with many strong memories, my favorite being our trip to the Pentathlon. I’ll miss all the outside time I get at Tamarack, and my friends who I have grown close to. In the future, I hope to keep learning about things I'm passionate about such as the arts and hockey and seek unrivaled success and financial gain so I can have full control of my life and do whatever I want :) I would like to thank my friends, Oz, Ray, Elliot, Blake and Adan for helping me keep a cheerful mood in the classroom. I had a great time at Tamarack and it will be sad moving on from such a great class, but I hope to do great things in life and I hope my classmates do the same. - Solomon Flores-Yockey

I became a Tamarack student in 6th grade after spending my fifth grade year at Atwater Elementary School. This fall, I will be joining Divine Savior Holy Angels High School as the class of 2026! My favorite memory from my time at Tamarack is simply hanging out with my friends at the park and just talking about life. I will miss the naturalistic learning atmosphere and my classmates’ over-enthusiastic attempts to get me to play volleyball. After high school, I plan to attend the United States Naval Academy and serve my military time as a Surface Warfare Officer. From there, I want to pursue a career in homeland security. I would like to thank my mom (for always being the sunshine at the end of the school day), my dad (for taking me to Starbucks after school whenever I asked), my cat (for never failing to be my 6:00 AM alarm clock), and Gloria (for always making me laugh so hard I end up on the floor). Lastly, I would like to thank Mrs. Reyes for steering me through these past few crazy years. Congrats to the class of 2022, we FINALLY did it! - Ellie Stockwell

I’ve been attending Tamarack since before I was even born. My mother was the teacher of Rainbow Garden and brought me to school at a very early age. I’ve grown up with the Tamarack community and I’ve come to know and love the traditions. Next year I’ll be attending Wauwatosa East High School, I’m very excited but spooked for the environment. I hope to finish high school, then go to college and learn more and more about visual arts and about bone collecting. I want to thank both my parents for giving me the opportunity to grow up in this school, and I also want to thank all the teachers for shaping me into the person I am today. Of course I’m thanking Mrs. Reyes. I couldn’t leave out the most important piece of the puzzle. I want to thank Mrs. Reyes for being there for us through the years, teaching us the ups and downs of life, and showing me the highlights of the little things in my life. - Gloria Pabón

Hello. My name is Autumn Lela Jones and I have gone to Tamarack Waldorf School all my life. In fall, I’m happy to be attending Milwaukee High School of the Arts, but I’m also feeling a bit empty about leaving Tamarack. A part of me is ready to leave but the other wants to hold on forever. I remember my first day of school. My mom and I were walking up the steps to the classroom and I was wishing that they wouldn’t have a spot open for me so that I would get to go to my second school option, but Tamarack had a spot open! I will miss so much about Tamarack - the festivals, traditions, beloved friends, and the wonderful teachers. I would especially like to thank Señora Geiger for being the best Spanish teacher I will ever have, and Ms. Duncan for teaching me to not only be respectful of my peers but also about fabric and knowledge of special old machinery that I wouldn’t otherwise have. These two teachers have taught me that laughter and peace of mind are key in a happy journey through life. I simply wish to remember to not be scared of the storm but to freely dance in the rain it provides. There truly isn’t any other school quite like a Waldorf school, and I am grateful to have gone here all my life. - Autumn Lela Jones

Hi, I’m Adan Hernandez. I joined in the third grade. I’ll be attending Pathways High School. My favorite memories include going ice skating and going caving. The thing I’ll miss about Tamarack is the teachers - every teacher has a unique character which are all great. My dreams are mostly going into robotics. Thank you Ms. Reyes for everything, but every race has an end, so till we meet again, I don’t know where, I don’t know when. - Adan Hernandez

I have been at Tamarack for as long as I can remember, and in the fall I will be attending Dominican High School. I will miss the long tangents we’ve had, especially in Main Lesson and Spanish. Some of my best memories are with this class, from going caving and getting really muddy, to all the games of kickball, capture the flag and more. I hope I remember what I have learned. I learned so many skills in handwork and had a great introduction to Spanish and I have Ms. Duncan, Ms. Sarah, Ms. Stephanie and Señora Geiger to thank for that. It’s scary to think about high school and how I won’t be coming back with the same crazy class, but it’s exciting to think about the new experiences I will have and memories I’ll make. - Analiese Hansen

I have attended Tamarack Waldorf School since first grade. This school is all Iʼve ever known, and the idea of leaving is incredibly daunting, but I will take with me many memories which will remain with me all my life. From playing tag in first grade, to the last days of school. All of it I look back upon fondly and will hold close to me in these following years. I think the most regretful thing I will leave behind are the people I grew up with and the teachers who shaped me into the person I am today. Señora Geiger especially, for always making time to talk to us about what we found intriguing. I will be attending Dominican High School next year, and, in the future, I plan to major in psychology and work in that field. I thank Tamarack and its staff for all they have done for me. - Nayah Burgos

I have been going to Tamarack since I was about four years old and in the Firefly Garden. It is so crazy to think that, so soon, I will be attending Rufus King High School, and leaving this place behind. I have grown accustomed to seeing everybody in my class on a daily basis, and it will be difficult to move on without them. It seems like just yesterday that my First Grade class had erupted into an all-out recess war over a golden key that I had brought to school. I cannot express how truly grateful I am to the friends I have made here for being there for me. I would also like to add how thankful I am to one of my favorite teachers here, Señora Geiger. She has lit up the classroom, and everywhere else she goes, with her heartwarming and inspiring stories. This school has inspired me to dive further into my interests, including art and piano, and when I’m older I aim to follow a career in politics and law. Without Tamarack I don’t know where I would be, or who would be there with me, but I am glad that I do not have to find out. - Ione Garrett

I’ve been attending Tamarack Waldorf School my whole life. I thought about leaving for a long time. I shadowed Maple Dale Middle School on Friday, March 13, 2020. I took that as sign and stuck with this school through quarantine. I will be going to Nicolet High School. Spending my entire life here, there have been good times, and the experience has been… special. I would like to express my gratitude for many teachers that I have come to love, for putting up with and teaching me while I was determined to me a menace to society. I thought I was ready to go to a different school for many years but I feel a sense of closure graduating from Tamarack, and I’m exited to start a new era. - Pearl Marks

I can’t believe I’m graduating. Every since the age of three when I enrolled in Rainbow Garden, graduation has been something I looked on with awe, and now here I am. It has been the most meaningful and emotional experience growing up with this class. The childish games we played in our younger years, all the way to our last May Day wrapping the May Pole. In the fall I will be attending Dominican High School. So many of the teachers have made a large impact on my life, and have helped shape the person I am today. Ms. Duncan showed me the joys of working with my hands, even when they get stabbed by needles. Señora Geiger taught the craziest and most random Spanish classes, but that made them even more enjoyable. My family truly deserves my thanks also. Without them, I would be lost, and I can't fathom a reality where they aren't by my side. I have practically grown up with most of my classmates, and that is something I will never take for granted. We have been with each other for better and for worse. We even survived eighth grade algebra, and let me tell you that's an accomplishment in itself. To be honest, I don't think I’m ready to say goodbye. But all journeys must come to end. I know that each and every one of you will go on to do great things. I will never forget the time we spent together. I love you guys! - Adeline Worman

Teaching this group of students has been a true honor; they are bright stars that can shine through the darkness. It is difficult to put into words the joy I have felt these last eight years and the happiness I feel in seeing how ready they are to join, explore, and serve the world. Congratulations, dear students, you have taught me so much. Fly free!

Love, Mrs. Reyes

8th Grade Reflections

Here are some of our 2022, 8th grade student reflections.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!