1.4: Celebrations
Annual Earth Day Celebrations
Our annual Earth Day celebrations are centered around a Peace Pole gathering where different classrooms take on the responsibility of leading our community in a recitation of our Earth Day pledge. We connect our gathering to planting activities and a community clean up; younger students focus on the school grounds and building perimeter, while older students work in the surrounding neighborhood.
Earth Day Community Clean Up
Photo: April 26, 2019
Earth Day Community Clean Up
Photo: April 26, 2019
Earth Day Community Clean Up
Photo: April 26, 2019
Lower Elementary, Earth Day Planting
Photo: April 22, 2019
Lower Elementary, Earth Day Planting
Photo: April 22, 2019
Researching and presenting sustainable solutions for Earth Month
Photo: April 12, 2019
Recycled crafting for Earth Month
Photo: April 12, 2019
Researching and presenting sustainable solutions for Earth Month
Photo: April 12, 2019
Integrating art and advocacy for Earth Month
Photo: April 12, 2019
Earth Day Community Clean Up
Photo: April 26, 2019
Upper Elementary, Earth Day Planting
Photo: April 22, 2019
Earth Day Peace Pole Gathering
Photo: April 18, 2018
Earth Day Peace Pole Gathering
Photo: April 18, 2018
Earth Day Peace Pole Gathering
Photo: April 18, 2018
Earth Day planting in the Children's House
Photo: April 20, 2018
Earth Day planting in the Children's House
Photo: April 20, 2018
Earth Day planting in the Children's House
Photo: April 20, 2018
Community Work Day in the garden in honor of Earth Day Weekend.
Photos: April 21, 2018
Earth Day Peace Pole gathering - community-wide tree pose!
Photo: April 26, 2017
Earth Day Peace Pole gathering - mindful breathing
Photo: April 26, 2017
Earth Day Peace Pole gathering - community-wide tree pose!
Photo: April 26, 2017
Earth Day Peace Pole gathering - student-led pledge
Photo: April 26, 2017
Upper Elementary Earth Day activities
Photo: April 22, 2017
Upper Elementary Earth Day activities
Photo: April 22, 2017
Upper Elementary Earth Day advocacy
Photo: April 22, 2017
Upper Elementary Earth Day art activities - earth-themed agamographs
Photo: April 22, 2017
Lower Elementary Earth Week Botany Study
Photo: April 28, 2017
Upper Elementary Earth Week botanical sketching in Greenmount West
Photo: April 28, 2017
Earth Week prepping the garden for planting
Photo: April 28, 2017
Annual Fall Fest
Fall Fest is our annual celebration of the harvest and an important community building opportunity for our school. The Adolescent Community (6th, 7th, & 8th grade) students plan, design, and lead the Fall Fest, and proceeds from the event help fund their end of year trip. Sustainability features prominently in these events - AC students make homemade food in lieu of unhealthy concessions and in 2019, in keeping with our school-wide waste reduction theme, students used recycled materials for crafts and launched the Free Fashion Store - a free boutique for dropping off or picking up gently used clothing and accessories.
Fall Fest craft station with recycled materials
Photo: October 25, 2019
AC students serve homemade, healthy food at Fall Fest
Photo: October 25, 2019
Fall Fest craft station with recycled materials
Photo: October 25, 2019
Free Fashion Store launch at Fall Fest
Photo: October 25, 2019
Above, Adolescent Community students make and serve healthy, seasonal food at our annual Fall Fest
Photo: October 20, 2017
At right, festival attendees enjoy homemade squash soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
Photo: October 20, 2017
Peace Pole Gatherings on the Greenspace
Photo: September 28, 2018
Education for peace is an essential feature of the Montessori approach to learning, and a Peace Pole sits at the heart of our greenspace.
We open and end the school year with celebrations on our greenspace: in September, we host a celebration for the International Day of Peace, and in June, we conclude with the parade of graduates.
Throughout the year, we hold monthly Peace Pole gatherings on various themes, including United Nations Day, Festival of Lights, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Black History Month, Earth Day.
When we celebrate the International Day of Peace, older students accompany our youngest learners on their first trip around the Peace Pole
Photo: September 20, 2019
On Graduation Day, the entire school community gathers to say farewell to our 8th graders. On their way to the auditorium for graduation, 8th graders take their final trip past the Peace Pole as students in our community. View our 2019 Parade of Graduates here.
Photo: June 14, 2019
This year, our celebration for the International Day of Peace coincided with a walk out for climate action.
Photo: September 20, 2019.