Honoring Taye A. Ormsbee (Townley)

Dear WSP Families and Friends,

The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh is so fortunate to have people from our past who still care for and tend to our school in a multitude of ways—through donating their time, talents, and financial support. I often think of them as the elders or special guardians of our school who came before us. We may not see them often, but they carry our school in their hearts always and will respond when called upon for help. Several of these people came today to serve in our Halloween Journey for the children (see photos within this newsletter)!

Taye A. Ormsbee (Townley) is one of these people and has been a WSP community member for over 25 years. She helped create the school library and volunteered weekly until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, she volunteered as a handwork assistant during her years at the school.

On the days she volunteered, Ms. Taye always had time for a conversation to see how you were doing. With a twinkle in her eye, she might tell you a story of a child who said something to her that made her giggle. Her strong connection to nature and deep devotion to the study of Anthroposophy, could be experienced in a short time if one had an interest in these topics.

Seeing the school thrive was of critical importance to Ms. Taye. When not volunteering, she developed her artistic skills in painting, ceramics and weaving. She regularly gifted a silk painting or scarf to our Winter Fair or May Fair silent auctions. At the beginning of the pandemic, Taye fell and needed to move to a care facility. She has not painted since and she has gifted her final collection of paintings to the school. Her silk paintings are vibrant and unique and can be most fully appreciated when seen in person. She often adds hidden elements within her paintings—giving faces to the forms that took shape on the silk. No matter your age, you can spend long periods of time taking in all that comes to life in Ms. Taye’s creations.

Ms. Taye and the school shared a dream—having a flowform on campus. As Ms. Taye turned 77 this year and has retired from her work with our school, we were inspired to create Moonlight Gallery, an evening to gather as a community to sip, shop, and socialize! We will celebrate the artists in our community, enjoy one another’s company, shop for the holidays, and support the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh—all in one evening. If you aren’t able to attend in person, we would love for you to join us virtually! All proceeds from the sale of Ms. Taye’s paintings will support our Flowform Fund while all other sales will support the WSP financial assistance program. Thank you to those who have already donated. We hope to see many of you there in person or online, and please spread the word!

Yours in community,

Kirsten Christopherson-Clark

Head of School