Primary through Middle School children gathered together to celebrate our second School Spirit Day of the year. Mrs. VonWachenfeldt and Mr. Mitnick hosted the event.
This year our Spirit Days are all about “Roots.” During the first school spirit day we talked about “getting back to our roots” – the importance of identity and knowing your story. This time we discussed using roots to talk about CONNECTION – and what that does for us as individuals and as communities. We are all part of a forest!
Mrs. VonWachenfeldt talked to the community about objects across our country that helped to illustrate the event’s theme of interconnectedness, such as the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, and the mighty Redwood trees in San Francisco, California. She led the community in an arch-building activity and everyone watched a fascinating video of the Redwoods and their root systems.
Did you know that even though redwoods can grow up to 350 feet tall (the tallest species in the world!) and live for thousands of years, their roots are only 10 feet deep? Their resilience comes from their interconnected root system – redwood roots intertwine and merge into a connectedness that allows them to nourish each other and hold each other up. When winds and storms, floods and earthquakes come, these trees stand firm and tall because of the connected community their roots have created. They can even grow new trees straight from their roots – maybe that’s why redwoods have been around for 240 million years!
Mrs. Von explained how our families and communities are like redwood forests. Redwoods show us that caring, sharing, and supporting one another is in our nature and in all nature—that is how we can all survive and thrive together, just like a forest. Our connectivity can help us all grow into bigger, stronger individuals than if we’re standing on our own. Mrs. Von interviewed some of our students about the trees in their forest….
After the video, Lower Elementary shared a song called, “Sing Peace”.
Mrs. Von then led the group in another activity to show our interconnectedness, “pass the squeeze.” Everyone stood shoulder-to-shoulder in one big circle and grabbed the hands of the person next to them. Mrs. Von started by squeezing the hand she was holding and then everyone passed the squeeze one-by-one all around the room!
The final activity for School Spirit Day was in support of the Parent Association’s Holiday Giving Drive. Students brought donations of hats, gloves, and toys to the assembly and hung the hats and gloves on the garland together! The drive runs through December 15th.
Community Service drives like this are one of the many ways we can help take care of our neighborhood “forest.” By combining our efforts as a school, we can make a much bigger impact than we could on our own!
School Spirit Day wrapped up with a performance by the Middle School Rock Band.
Spirit Days happen four times a year. The community wears our school shirts or colors and Primary, Elementary, and Middle School students, teachers, and staff come together for a special assembly.
