Meet Our Founder

Krystelle Rose obtained her Master of Arts in Education with a concentration on Waldorf Education and also earned her Waldorf Teacher Certificate as well as a Waldorf Administrator Certificate. She also earned another master’s degree in Business Administration. Krystelle has been involved with Waldorf Education for around 20 years, which started with her own children attending a newly formed homeschool Waldorf cottage school model. She eventually taught there for many years.

In 2011, with an interest in growing a Waldorf Community, she founded the Utah Waldorf group with over 600 members. She put on many festivals, events, and activities for participants and the community as interest in Waldorf Education continued to grow. In 2012, she initiated and put on the very first Utah Waldorf Conference. She planned and directed a total of six annual Utah Waldorf conferences with attendees from 8 states.

On the Spring Equinox of 2016, Krystelle initiated the Waldorf Charter called Mountain Sunrise Academy, after working on several other Waldorf charter school projects. It took a rigorous 3-year long approval process for the school to finally get the green light, but all the hard work paid off when it was finally approved on January 17, 2019. The school eventually opened its doors in the year 2020.

Some of the accomplishments and highlights during her time and service at Mountain Sunrise Academy include:

• Founding the first Waldorf Charter School in Utah County and the second charter in the state that is aligned with Waldorf Principles according to the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education.
• Selecting & procuring MSA’s property surrounded by nature with a beautiful lake & mountain view.
• Designing a functional and beautiful school. MSA was designed to be an extension of the home with wood floors, a welcoming fireplace, a culinary kitchen, a garden, a water feature, and a place for music and theater performances and planned outdoor spaces. Outfitted school with all furniture and supplies. Hired and trained all personnel.
• Sleeping under the stars on the school roof after the student body surpassed the fundraising goal by $5,000 and waving to all the students as they arrived the following day.
• Getting to know and work with the wonderful people at MSA and being invested and involved in the lives of over 50 faculty members, over 500 students, as well as parents and community members.
• MSA won the Newcomer School of the Year award in 2022 by Utah Charter Network and continues to have very full registration and waitlists.
   

We’re so proud of all the work Krystelle has done for our school and so grateful that she put in so much effort and time with such a monumental project!