Last Thursday our students worked our land together on a lovely day that yielded a bountiful harvest and readied our campus for winter. Vegetables were eagerly collected and the campus beautified with attentive hands. First and eighth grades, along with second and ninth grades planted bulbs, third and tenth grades harvested squash and pumpkins, sixth grade screened and spread compost, seventh grade dug for potatoes, fourth and eleventh grades sowed winter rye in the grain field, while fifth and twelfth grades cut and bunched broom corn. The lively day finished with students and faculty processing to Nibble Hill where seeds were sown for growth through the winter season.

Friday festivities included the larger community. After the energetic Dragon’s Den Game concluded late morning, the Dragon who had lurked for a time in the tall grasses disappeared from sight for another year. Everyone was treated to Dragon Bread and apple cider in their classrooms. After dismissal for grades 1-4,  grades 5-8 gathered in eight mixed-age teams to compete in the first-ever Dragon Float Challenge.  Part relay race, part scavenger hunt, part talent show, the results were very creative dragons made out of cardboard, fabric, and tape. Students were enthusiastically involved in the process, enjoyed working in mixed age groups, and everyone who stayed to watch the afternoon unfold was treated to ingenious creations and laughter filled performances.

Now as the season shifts to a colder darker time of year, we carry the joy and courage found when gathered together to celebrate harvest and abundance, and we utilize it to empower ourselves against inner and outer dragons.

More photos can be found at the Hartsbrook Photo Site
More about the Harvest Festival