Student Life

Festivals & Traditions

A School Year Filled With Meaning

Festivals & Traditions


At Cedarwood, the school year is shaped not only by lessons and academics, but also by the shared traditions that bring our community together. Throughout the year, students gather to celebrate the changing seasons, mark important milestones, and participate in experiences that become treasured memories of childhood.
These festivals and traditions help children experience the rhythms of the year, strengthen their connection to one another, and create a sense of belonging that lasts long after graduation.
Traditions become the stories children carry with them. They mark beginnings and endings, celebrate the changing seasons, and weave together the shared memories that make a school community feel like home.

Growing Through the Seasons

Rather than simply decorating for holidays, our festivals invite children to experience the qualities each season offers. Autumn brings opportunities for courage, gratitude, and generosity. Winter encourages quiet reflection and the search for light during the darkest days of the year. Spring is a season of renewal, beauty, and joyful celebration, while the end of the school year provides moments to recognize growth and new beginnings. Many of our festivals are rooted in long-standing Waldorf traditions, while others reflect the cultures, histories, and communities that make up Cedarwood today. Together they create a festival life that is both meaningful and continually evolving.

Traditions That Become Lifelong Memories

List of 6 items.

  • The Rose Ceremony

    First graders are welcomed into the grades by their eighth-grade buddies with a single rose. Eight years later, those same first graders return the gesture as they send the graduating class into high school—a beautiful tradition that symbolizes friendship, growth, and continuity.
  • Winter Spiral

    During the darkest days of the year, children walk quietly through an evergreen spiral to light a candle, reminding us that each person carries light into the world. It is one of Cedarwood's most peaceful and memorable traditions.
  • Winter Faire

    One of Cedarwood's most beloved community events, Winter Faire transforms the campus into a magical celebration filled with handmade crafts, storytelling, music, artisan vendors, and activities created by every class. Families, alumni, and neighbors gather to celebrate the season together.
  • The Bridge Ceremony

    The Bridge Ceremony celebrates the transition from kindergarten to first grade. Guided by their kindergarten teachers, each child crosses a bridge to be welcomed by their first-grade teacher, marking this important milestone with warmth, joy, and anticipation.
  • The Boat Launch

    At the close of kindergarten, children launch handmade wooden boats, celebrating the transition into the grades and the exciting journey ahead. 
  • Eighth Grade Celebrations

    The final weeks of eighth grade are filled with meaningful traditions that celebrate each student's journey through Cedarwood. During the Appreciation Assembly and Promotion Ceremony, the entire school comes together to recognize the graduating class and wish them well as they begin their next chapter.

A Year of Celebrations

Throughout the year Cedarwood faculty and staff incorporate diverse perspectives, stories, experiences, and traditions into the curriculum. This is seen in the stories they tell, the events they celebrate, the projects they create, and the work they put back into the community. Below is a list of some of the major holidays, celebrations, and recognitions that are incorporated into the school community each year.

This list reflects many of our annual traditions, and we continue to expand and adapt our celebrations to better reflect our evolving community. If you have suggestions or additions, please email deijbcommittee@cedarwoodschool.org.

List of 10 items.

  • September

    Hispanic & Latino Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15)
    Rosh Hashanah
    Yom Kippur
  • October    

    Hispanic & Latino Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15)
    Indigenous People's Day
  • November    

    Native American Heritage Month
    Dia De Los Muertos 
    Diwali
  • December    

    Hannukkah
  • January

    Disabilities Awareness Month
    MLK Celebration 
  • February 

    Black History Month    
    Lunar New Year
  • March     

    Women’s History Month
    Ramadan
    Persian New Year (Nowruz) 
  • April    

    Passover
  • May 

    Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month    
    Japanese Children's Day
  • June 

    Pride Month    
    Juneteenth