Fall Festival week was wonderful! The weather was perfect and allowed our students at all levels to take full advantage of the many outdoor happenings on and off campus. Our youngest students enjoyed the petting zoo from a local farm and seeing the more exotic animals that visited from Mill Mountain Zoo. Most exciting was the opportunity to watch their first monarch butterfly emerge from the chrysalis. Middle elementary had a creek day, learned about the trout they will raise in the classroom, and spent a day on Mill Mountain discovering the animals at the zoo and exploring this wonderful space in Roanoke. They ended their week with dinner and an outdoor movie on the back hill. Upper elementary found ways to push themselves and work together to develop new skills paddling at Carvins Cove, camping on campus, and climbing (and flying) at the Bedford Y. Middle school students hiked and biked at Explore Park and also spent a night on campus in hammocks and tents. Pumpkins were scavenged, painted, and carved and we all enjoyed s’mores and the smell of a campfire.
A big thank you to the teachers who set the stage for learning when they planned the events, crafted creative projects, and designed collaborative and cooperative activities, and to our families who transported students, slept in a tent, provided snacks, and prepared meals. Most of all we appreciate that Fall Festival is valued as an integral part of our year and that we continue to give the time and effort to make these special memories.
-Linda Roth
