Harvest Festival by Heather Fehrenbach
A llama ate my daughter in Ms. Nuttall’s classroom. Her cute little two-year-old ponytails proved
too appetizing at the Harvest Festival Petting Zoo and Mr. Llama could not
resist. She didn’t cry, and didn’t really seem to mind, but a ring of horrified
parents and students watched a sweet, curly, ribbon-adorned wad of baby hair be
chewed and semi-swallowed. Fortunately,
the hair was still attached; the llama just needed a quick chiding followed by
a gagging cough to release my little darling.
My daughter regarded Mr. Llama with a stern glance and then chose to pet
Mr. Giant Bunny at the other side of the ring.
Mr. Llama was not a quitter. By
the end of our three minute petting zoo encounter everyone in the ring, students
and parents, were making sure Mr. Llama did not succeed.
After our Llama encounter we tried a few games. My four-year-old
was having a hard time so the middle school girl running the booth let him step
forward. Finally, the ball went in. He was so proud. Later, in the gymnasium as I was helping my
kids juggle their plates full of pizza, hot dogs and chips, a dad, who I have
yet to meet, jumped out of his chair and swooped in to catch a hot dog just as
it made its descent from my 6-year-old’s plate. A parent from my son’s class
stopped by to remind me to sign him up for a basketball team they would be
coaching. After dinner we checked out
the silent auction, specifically the 5th grade magnets my son had
made. I searched for his bag of magnets
but they had already been purchased.
Channing Hall’s fifth guiding principle states that “an
involved community promotes optimal student learning.” Furthermore, this Guiding Principle defines
community to include “students, parents/guardians, teachers, administration,
the board of directors, staff and volunteers/”
Henning Hansmann was both a school principal as well as an
author on Special Education, he wrote this about community and education, “Interest
and enthusiasm are the wellspring of continually evolving community life: they
create bonds which unite us whether we are young or old, nearby or far from
each other; they allow human warmth and love to be the formative forces in
personal and community life and striving.”
Note; that both interest (curiosity) and enthusiasm are IB attitudes.
Another activist for progressive education; Alfie Kohn,
writes, “People will typically be more enthusiastic where they feel a sense of
belonging and see themselves as part of a community than they will in a
workplace in which each person is left to his own devices.”
The harvest festival was an awesome ending to a week of
giving, but what will stay with my children is this sense of community, a sense
of belonging, a sense that people support and care for them. The animal pen
full of ponytail protectors, the Middle School
student running the ball toss who showed empathy to my son, the anonymous hot
dog hero, the family volunteering to coach my son’s basketball team, the parent
or staff member who bought the bag of magnets that my son had been so proud of.
This is what they will keep with them
forever.
The Harvest Festival was successful beyond all expectation!
Annual Giving donations were the highest ever!
THANK YOU, Heather Shepherd, Annual Giving Committee, Staff,
donors and so many volunteers who worked so tirelessly to put on such a GREAT
show!
THANK YOU, Our wonderful
Channing Hall community
for
your participation
for
your support
and
for
your DONATIONS!
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