our Administrator
Dr Lucy Chartier (she/her/hers)
ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Lucy Chartier learned about Waldorf Education in 1984 while a graduate student pursing a degree in Humanistic Education and Clinical Psychology. She was awaiting the birth of her first daughter and envisioned a different education for her children than what the mainstream approach was offering at the time. Looking for an education that would address the whole person and developing child, including nurturing the “inner life”, was important to her. An education that would not stifle a child’s enthusiasm, joy, and motivation and that would not promote the increased anxiety she was witnessing in school children was of paramount importance to her.
Dr. Chartier went on to co-found the Oakland Steiner School in Oakland County, Michigan in 1990, a school based on the principles of Waldorf Education. Later, she moved with her young family to Chapel Hill so they could attend the Emerson Waldorf School and be closer to Lucy’s family of origin. Her daughters graduated from Emerson Waldorf School after grade 8.
In 2018, Dr. Chartier co-founded Raleigh Oak Charter School. After the successful opening of that school, Dr. Chartier still held the vision to bring a school to Raleigh that could fully realize the principles of Waldorf Education utilizing the pedagogical indications of Rudolf Steiner without constraint of the NC Standard Course of Study. Thus, in 2020 she founded The Unity School (now Raleigh Day School). Collaborating with her daughter and Waldorf school graduate Lydia Johnson, veteran Waldorf teacher Heather Power and two new Waldorf teachers, Leland Rayner and Jamie Kelly, The Unity School was developed to fully embrace and implement the pedagogical indications that are central to Waldorf education. The school's founding name reflected the intention held by the founders to work collaboratively and to uphold the principles of unity among staff, faculty, students and families. In our third year the name was changed to Raleigh Day School to proudly reflect our home city.
