Grady Keystone received his Waldorf teaching certification in 2009 upon completing a practicum in Edinburgh, Scotland. He brings to the classroom 40 years of experience as an art teacher and outdoor experiential instructor for troubled teens.
Grady’s paintings and murals can be seen in Honoka’a and on the mainland, and he is a working musician, singer and songwriter. Earning a degree in Zoology and Art from the University of California at Santa Cruz, he later trained at the Art Student’s League in New York City.
Grady accompanied his first graduating class through all eight grades and facilitated smooth transitions into various high schools on the Big Island. After taking a sabbatical year to work on music, Grady committed to a second group of children who now enter third grade in the 2021/22 school year. The varied curriculum meets the developmental needs of the growing nine-year-old with wisdom tales from the Fertile Crescent and ancient Hebrew culture. Lessons center around practical knowledge: children learn to measure, weigh, use tools, work with money, sow and reap crops, make bread, follow the seasons, and keep time. They learn to build shelters and how to weave plant and animal fibers to clothe themselves. Third graders meet the earth and realize that they have the power to positively make their mark upon it.
Grady is dedicated to providing a holistic learning experience that balances art, music, literature, science, history and math, and has a long history of presenting lessons in a joyful, interesting, and challenging manner.
Monika Hennig graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and a minor in Music. She combined her artistic and scientific passions, attending the University of Southern California and receiving an MFA in film production. The Alfred P. Sloan foundation supported several of her science themed scripts, and “Chasing Patterns”, a child-friendly short about a little boy who doesn’t like math until discovering the beauty of patterns in nature, went on to be distributed by the Spiritual Cinema Circle.
As a child, Monika attended Waldorf Schools from 4th grade through high school and credits her education with sparking curiosity and creating a desire for life-long learning.