Exciting Announcement: Middle School Student Writers Retreat!

The founder of APT, Libby Weston is also a teacher at Da Vinci Waldorf School in Wauconda IL. This summer Ms. Weston and her colleague Mr Kane have developed an exciting writers retreat for middle school students.

The Young Writers Educational Retreat or YWER (pronounced “why we are”) is a brand new opportunity for middle school students from Waldorf schools who are interested in developing as young writers to meet and connect with other young writers. It is kind of like the Waldorf tradition of Pentathlon but subtract the wrestling, add lots of creative writing, then throw in a summer camp vibe.

If you love to write and would like to see your work published one day, this may be the camp for you. To be considered, students must submit:

an Application (parents can help with this part)

a short Personal Essay (easy peasy)

and

a Teacher Recommendation (trust us, your teacher would love to write this!)

The deadline for submiting these forms is April 10, 2026, so don’t procrastinate! Applications can be submitted by email to YWER2026@gmail.com. Students who are accepted into the program will be invited to attend the Young Writers Educational Retreat at beautiful Camp Duncan in Ingleside, Il June 12-14, 2026. Waldorf students from all over the region will be invited to attend. Many students will be eligible for full scholarships (that means the camp will be totally free!).

Next Steps:

If you are interested in applying for YWER, send a brief email requesting an application packet to YWER2026@gmail.com . Please indicate your grade and which Waldorf school you are currently attending.

Upcoming Dates:

April 10 - Application Deadline

April 24 - Students will be notified of accepted into the program and scholarship recipients will be notified

May 1- Final Camp Registration due

June 12-14 YWER weekend camp!