Community Classes & Courses
Alma Partners offers a variety of affordable learning opportunities for people interested in joining us for personal and professional development. Content varies throughout the year and ranges from short, single-session, webinar-style classes to cohorted, multi-session courses that span several months.
Note: Our sliding-scale pricing is per-person and intended to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. Please pay the most you are able to afford, in order to keep lower-price spots open for those who need them. If you are in a double-income family or household, have savings or inherited wealth, own your home, and/or can afford vacations, please consider contributing at a higher tier.
Wednesday, September 23rd
4-5:30pm PT / 7-8:30pm ET on Zoom
With Randolph Carter & Vicki Larson
In this interactive webinar, participants will develop skills to:
Align practices with vision and mission
Develop a shared organizational framework, from faculty/staff to parents/caregivers to Board
Create policies and procedures that support inclusion and belonging
*Please note: in alignment with the Alma Partners core value of Centering Relationship, this session will not be recorded! Please plan to attend live.
Link will be shared after you register. Resources will be shared with all who register, as follow-up to our live session.
Fee: Sliding scale, $25-100 per person.
Note: Pricing is per person. Our sliding-scale pricing is intended to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. Please pay the most you are able to afford, in order to keep lower-price spots open for those who need them. If you are in a double-income family or household, have savings or inherited wealth, own your home, and/or can afford vacations, please consider contributing at a higher tier.
About the Presenters
See our Who We Are page for Randolph & Vicki’s bios.
Monday, November 2nd
4-5:30pm PT / 7-8:30pm ET on Zoom
With Tania Adams, Keelah Helwig, Synon Holman, Kelly Molinet, Victoria Reyes, Simone Shurney, & Stephen Sagarin
Hosted by Alma Partners
In this panel discussion and Q & A, participants will:
Hear about the most pressing issues facing students today, from Early Childhood through High School, from AI, screens, and social media to building relationships in a polarized world and facing the future with hope and a sense of purpose
Learn what schools are doing to meet young people’s needs and help them thrive
Can't attend? The presentation portion of this session will be recorded and shared with all who register.
Link will be shared after you register.
Fee: Sliding scale, $25-100 per person.
Note: Pricing is per person. Our sliding-scale pricing is intended to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. Please pay the most you are able to afford, in order to keep lower-price spots open for those who need them. If you are in a double-income family or household, have savings or inherited wealth, own your home, and/or can afford vacations, please consider contributing at a higher tier.
About the Presenters
Tania Adams, MSW, LICSW, works at the intersection of education, behavioral health, wellness, and student success. Tania previously served as Director of Learning Support and Humanities Faculty at Austin Waldorf School and now works as Director of Learning Support at Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma, WA.
Keelah Helwig is a co-founder of Alma Partners and an early childhood educator with more than 25 years of experience in the classroom. She currently serves as Chair of the EC program at the Waldorf School of Garden City (WSGC), of which she is an alumna. Keelah has also served as the Chair of the College of Teachers at WSGC and is a founding and continuing member of WSGC's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
Synon Holman - Bio coming soon!
Kelly Molinet is the School Director at Denver Waldorf School. She’s a visionary leader with a proven track record of building inclusive, intentional, and healthy learning communities. Before joining Denver Waldorf School, she served as the Executive Director and Head of School for the September School in Boulder, Colorado.
Victoria Reyes serves as Learning Support Coordinator at the Rudolf Steiner School in NYC. She has a background in Anthropology, Social Science, History, and Spanish Language, with demonstrated expertise in holistic/human-centered secondary education. Victoria is also an experienced scholar-practitioner in Systems Thinking and Design Thinking.
Simone Shurney was born and raised in Detroit, MI and has served as a Class Teacher at Detroit Waldorf School. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2011 with a major in Sociology and a minor in Spanish literature. The following year, she completed the Educational Policy Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned an MSEd. Simone is a core faculty member at the Great Lakes Waldorf Institute.
Stephen Sagarin is the Executive Director and a core faculty member at Berkshire Waldorf High School in Stockbridge, MA. Steve received his doctorate in U.S. History from Columbia University and his BA in Art History and Fine Art from Princeton University. He is a graduate of the Waldorf School of Garden City, where he taught for 12 years before moving to Massachusetts. Steve serves as Associate Professor in Waldorf Teacher Education at Sunbridge Institute and is a former editor of the Research Bulletin of the Research Institute for Waldorf Education. He has taught at Teachers College, the City University of New York, and Berkshire Community College.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
4-5:30pm PT / 7-8:30pm ET on Zoom
What does Waldorf Education look like as it interacts with modalities such as anti-bias education, culturally and historically responsive education, decolonizing education, and the complex world of state curriculum standards?
In response to many requests and to support teachers in their daily classroom work, Alma Partners is offering a Community Class Series in 2026-27 in which teachers will share about the concrete, practical steps they are taking to contextualize their pedagogy, curriculum, and classroom for the young people in their care. Our series will be jump-started with special guest Rie Seo, who teaches in a Waldorf Early Childhood program.
Through this series, we will explore what contextualizing means, and discuss the delicate and skillful art of weaving traditional Waldorf education with the needs of the children in front of us. Guests with expertise working with different age groups will present their work, share resources, and engage directly with questions from participants. We will also hold additional space for brainstorming, with facilitation provided by Alma Partners.
Fee: Sliding scale, $25-100 per person.
Link will be shared after you register.
Note: Pricing is per person. Our sliding-scale pricing is intended to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. Please pay the most you are able to afford, in order to keep lower-price spots open for those who need them. If you are in a double-income family or household, have savings or inherited wealth, own your home, and/or can afford vacations, please consider contributing at a higher tier.
*Please note: in alignment with the Alma Partners core value of Centering Relationship, we do not record our sessions! Please plan to attend live.
Monday, December 14th
4-5:30pm PT / 7-8:30pm ET on Zoom
With Joaquin Muñoz & Alma Partners
In this interactive webinar, participants will:
Review the Social Justice Standards from Learning for Justice, which provide a road map for anti-bias education at every stage of K-12 instruction
Practice applying the standards to curriculum
Deepen their skills for building a classroom and community rooted in inclusion and belonging
*Please note: in alignment with the Alma Partners core value of Centering Relationship, this session will not be recorded! Please plan to attend live.
Link will be shared after you register. Resources will be shared with all who register, as follow-up to our live session.
Fee: Sliding scale, $25-100 per person.
Note: Pricing is per person. Our sliding-scale pricing is intended to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. Please pay the most you are able to afford, in order to keep lower-price spots open for those who need them. If you are in a double-income family or household, have savings or inherited wealth, own your home, and/or can afford vacations, please consider contributing at a higher tier.
About the Presenter
Joaquin (he/him) grew up on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation in Arizona, where he learned early on about the complicated issues of race, culture, history, and oppression. Since then his continuous work to develop his understanding of being a mixed-race person (Pascua Yaqui Indian and Mexican-American) continues to inform all aspects of his professional career. During his time as a teacher in K-12 and post-secondary environments, his desire to support others in the development of their intercultural competency and their passion for social justice grew. As such, he has spent the past decade developing skills for this work by using methods that include Indigenous Circle Work, the Theatre of the Oppressed, various forms of art, and dialogue and literacy tools.
An Alma Partners associate since 2020, Joaquin is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. His main focus is on helping people develop capacities for working with diverse student populations in culturally responsive and humanizing ways. Joaquin also consults for a number of groups and organizations both nationally and internationally, including in Canada, Germany, and Mexico.
Wednesday, October 21st
9-10am PT / 12-1pm ET on Zoom
With Marianela Comino, People Strategy Consultant & Waldorf Parent
Hosted by Alma Partners
In this interactive webinar, Marianela brings a fresh perspective to one of the most common yet often overlooked challenges in schools: the hidden cost of ambiguity. Through practical examples and reflective exercises, she invites Waldorf school leaders to explore how greater clarity can strengthen collaboration, trust, and the overall health of their school communities.
Participants will:
Learn about Blurred Accountability & The Weight of Consensus
Hear How High-Functioning Schools Manage Decision-Making
Engage in Real-life Reflection Exercises
Gain Clarity on People Strategy
*This session will be recorded.
Link will be shared after you register. Resources will be shared with all who register, as follow-up to our live session.
Fee: Sliding scale, $25-100 per person.
Note: Pricing is per person. Our sliding-scale pricing is intended to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. Please pay the most you are able to afford, in order to keep lower-price spots open for those who need them. If you are in a double-income family or household, have savings or inherited wealth, own your home, and/or can afford vacations, please consider contributing at a higher tier.
About the Presenter
Marianela Comino is a People Strategy Consultant with more than 20 years of global experience helping organizations strengthen leadership, develop talent, and navigate organizational change. Throughout her career, she has partnered with leaders across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America to design people strategies that support growth while fostering healthy, resilient workplace cultures.
Drawing on both corporate and consulting experience, Marianela believes that sustainable organizational health begins with clarity—clear roles, thoughtful leadership, and systems that enable people to do their best work. Her approach combines strategic thinking with a deep commitment to human development, helping organizations balance operational effectiveness with meaningful relationships.
Tuesday, February 9th
4-5:30pm PT / 7-8:30pm ET on Zoom
With Dr. Linda Williams & Alma Partners
Sometimes the conversation about human dignity, diversity, and inclusion seems caught between extremes: treated like something imported from outside Waldorf education, or feeling like anthroposophy has nothing to say about it. In this interactive webinar, we will go back to the actual roots: what Steiner and the founders were really working toward, what happened to that vision over the following century, and what it offers us right now.
You'll leave with a clearer, steadier way to talk about belonging in your own classroom or school community: one that's grounded in Waldorf education’s own anthroposophical foundations rather than borrowed from outside or defended against them.
This session is for faculty/staff, Faculty Chairs and other school leadership, Board members, and parents/caregivers — anyone who wants language and confidence for this work that feels authentically, anthroposophically Waldorf.
*Please note: in alignment with the Alma Partners core value of Centering Relationship, this session will not be recorded! Please plan to attend live.
Link will be shared after you register. Resources will be shared with all who register, as follow-up to our live session.
Fee: Sliding scale, $25-100 per person.
Note: Pricing is per person. Our sliding-scale pricing is intended to make our courses accessible to as many people as possible. Please pay the most you are able to afford, in order to keep lower-price spots open for those who need them. If you are in a double-income family or household, have savings or inherited wealth, own your home, and/or can afford vacations, please consider contributing at a higher tier.
About the Presenter
Dr. Linda Williams (she/her) is a long-time member of the Detroit Waldorf School family and retired from full-time teaching in June 2024. A co-founder of Alma Partners, she served as a Class Teacher for grades one to five from 1987-1992, spent a year opening DWS’ 3-year-old Kindergarten and then taught grades one to three at the Urban Waldorf School in Milwaukee. Upon her return to Detroit, she became the Elementary Program Director of the Waldorf Institute of Southeastern Michigan. She remained in this role while also serving as a Class Teacher for grades two through eight.
After graduating a class from DWS in 2006, Dr. Williams became a professor of Teacher Education at Eastern Michigan University, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in elementary literacy and urban education. At EMU, Dr. Williams is part of the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition that helps community partners and schools enact place-based, environmental curriculum. She also has served as an Honors College Fellow and has assisted the Upward Bound program.
During this time, Dr. Williams also served as a teacher mentor and teacher evaluator for several Waldorf schools. She helped to develop curriculum for a public Waldorf initiative and she worked with several Waldorf schools on issues of inclusion and belonging.
Dr. Williams received her doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy, with a cognate in Literacy from Michigan State University. Her M.A. was earned in Waldorf Education from Mercy College, and her B.A. was received from Justin Morrill College at Michigan State University.
Advancement Team Essentials Course
With Alex Borders & Vicki Larson
2026-27 dates:
(7 Mondays on Zoom, 10-11am PT / 1-2pm ET):
9/28/26
10/26/26
11/30/26
12/14/26
1/25/27
2/22/27
3/22/27
Join this new, multi-session course on school sustainability & resilience. Strategize with experts, develop systems that strengthen planning & accountability, & engage in peer-to-peer learning.
Topics include:
Admissions
Developing & analyzing your Admissions pipeline
Identifying & understanding lost leads
Determining the range of students your school can serve
Strengthening recruitment & retention
Creating welcome events that help families connect
Communications & Marketing
Understanding the parent/caregiver journey
Telling compelling stories, at the right time on the right channel
Stretching your advertising budget
Optimizing your website
Analyzing your competitive set
Development
Annual Fund Planning
Donor Cultivation
Donor Stewardship
Building a Fundraising Board
Governance
Developing clear roles & policies
Working with Leadership: Board, College, Administration
Creating & using tools that streamline workflow
and much more
Priced per school, not per person! Bring your entire Advancement Team: Admissions, Communications, Development, Marketing, & Head of School, for just $1250.
Sessions will be recorded. Please plan to attend at least 75% of the sessions live.
Fulfilling Our Promise:
Becoming Inclusive Communities Course
(Individual Cohort for Alma Partners’ Signature Online Course)
2026-27 dates:
(8 Wednesdays on Zoom, 4-5:30pm PT / 7-8:30pm ET):
11/4/26
11/11/26
12/2/26
12/9/26
1/13/27
1/27/27
2/10/27
2/24/27
Be part of a cross-school community invested in mutual learning, support, and dialogue, meeting for 8 sessions on Zoom as you work independently through our signature, 8-module online course, Fulfilling Our Promise: Becoming Inclusive Communities.
The course orients you to best practices in the field of inclusion and belonging, laying the groundwork for transformation in your community. You’ll leave with actionable strategies for building a more inclusive classroom and community, and a new group of colleagues and collaborators from across North America!
Course topics include:
Building a Common Framework in Your Organization
Understanding Institutional Legacy
Racial Identity Development
Enrollment for Inclusive Community
Intersectionality
Anti-Bias Education and Contextualizing Curriculum
Note: This course will only run if we have a minimum of 25 participants joining.
Sliding scale fee, per person:
$2,500: School-funded, school budget over $2M
$1,500: School-funded, school budget $1-2M
$1,000: School-funded, school budget under $1M or self-pay, household income over $150K
$800: Self-pay, household income $75K-$150K
$600: Self-pay, household income under $75K
10% discount for organizations sending 3+ participants.
Email us to bring the course to your school or organization!
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We use a sliding scale price range so that we can cover costs for our course while also being more accessible for those who want to participate but need extra support in affording tuition.
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Yes! We’ve scheduled our courses and classes so that they do not overlap.
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Yes, for multi-session courses only (not for one-off c!asses).
If you are a returning student to any of our courses or a school/organization sending more than 3 people to a course, contact us, and we will provide you with a discount code.
We don’t discount our classes, which are already priced as low as possible, on a sliding scale from $25-100.