
Ashwood Alumni
Ashwood alumni are creative thinkers, confident in their own abilities, possessing a reverence for life, a strong sense of personal responsibility, and the ability to thrive and adapt in a changing world.
An Ashwood education was one of the best gifts my parents could have given me. A community dedicated to the appreciation of nature, music, arts, rigorous thought, nourishing relationships… an education in what it is to be human.
I thank my Ashwood education for encouraging my open-mind, fearless authenticity, and reverence for earth. These qualities were nurtured in the safety of your classrooms and communities, and they have brought me a deep sense of peace as I navigate life.
By the time Waldorf students reach us, they are grounded broadly and deeply and have a remarkable enthusiasm for learning. They possess the eye of discoverer and the compassionate heart of the reformer, which when joined to a task, can change the planet.
Alumni News

Alex Wilder '08
After Ashwood, I did a year at Camden-Rockport Middle School before attending high school at Camden Hills. I loved my time at CHRHS, where I participated in the choral program, the musicals, and the nordic ski team. I did my undergraduate degree in Musical Studies at Oberlin College, after which I returned to Maine to work as a freelance musician and producer. My work in Maine included songwriting and production with the non-profit Documentary Songwriters, as well as the production of Elsie Gawler’s folk album, Sweet As Honey.
At the beginning of 2020, I moved to Nashville to study audio engineering at The Blackbird Academy. I graduated in September and began work as an assistant to producer Mike Elizondo. Since then, we’ve been fortunate enough to work with a broad range of artists and projects, from Brittany Howard’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” to Grace VanderWaal’s “Repeat.” Looking back, I have Ashwood to thank for fostering my curiosity and helping me maintain a humanistic outlook through the challenges of the times we live in.

Alumni Spotlight: Harper Alexander '06
May 2021
After graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Harper moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a cinematographer for several years. During this time he met and married Evelina Santaguida, an Italian language teacher and accomplished cook. Together they created the hit YouTube channel, Pasta Grammar, where they apply their unique sense of humor to teach viewers about authentic Italian cuisine. If anyone is looking for delicious Italian recipes shared with true comedic charm, be sure to check them out!
Alec Donoso '02
Alumni Artisans
Ashwood alumni have gone on to a variety of interesting pursuits. Many are artists, musicians, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs in midcoast Maine and beyond. If you’re an alum and would like to list your endeavor here, write to alumni@ashwoodwaldorf.org.
Simone Cautela, '05 - Simone Marie Designs
I am Simone Cautela and I went to elementary school at Ashwood. I then attended high school at Carrabassett Valley Ski Academy, and graduated from University of Maine (Orono) with an Exercise Science- Kinesiology degree! I now work full time at Tahoe Forest Hospital in the Emergency room and reside in Alpine Meadows, California. I ski every day that I have off (40-100 days a year), am also an avid mountain biker and enjoy a good healthy adrenaline rush. In 2020 I launched a small clay jewelry business called Simone Marie Designs, and fell in love with the man of my dreams. My aspiration for 2021 is to work full time from the chairlift.
Ella Simon - Coastal Caps
Coastal Caps was created by Ella Simon (Ashwood ’13) and Grace Kenney, students at Bennington College with a shared passion for art and the environment. Both women are very concerned about plastic pollution, and their idea for Coastal Caps emerged during first year studies helping to advocate for a plastic ban law in Vermont. Single use plastic bags are one of the most difficult materials to recycle, but Ella and Grace have created a new way to repurpose these bags into the brims of their unique, handmade caps.
Ben Breda - Breda Knives
Ben Breda (class of 2000) has a home forge and studio in Hope, Maine, where he began making knives in 2012. He attended the New England School of Metalwork, and earned his American Bladesmith Society Journeyman rating in 2014. Ben is now an award-winning bladesmith working towards his ABS Master Smith in 2020.
Selected College Acceptances
Allegheny College
Barnard College
Bates College
Beloit College
Bennington College
Berkely School of Music
Bowdoin College
Brown University
California College of Art
Champlain College
Colby College
College of Charleston
College of the Atlantic
Columbia College of Art
Columbia University
Concordia University
Connecticut College
Cornell College
Dickinson College
Evergreen State College
George Washington University
Gettysburg College
Goucher College
Green Mountain College
Hampshire College
Haverford College
Ithaca College
Kenyon College
Maine Maritime Academy
Massachusetts College of Art
Middlebury College
Montana State University
Mount Holyoke College
Northeastern University
Nova Scotia School of Art and Design
Oberlin College
Olin College of Engineering
Parsons Art and Design School
Pomona College
Pratt Institute
Rhode Island School of Design – RISD
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art & Design
Smith College
St. Lawrence University
State University of New York
Union College
Unity College
University of Colorado
University of Maine, Farmington
University of Maine, Orono
University of Maine, Presque Isle
University of New Hampshire
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
University of Southern California
University of Vermont
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Vasser College
Warren Wilson College
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Williams College