With the Christmas season just around the corner we felt the need to pause briefly and reflect back on the month that was.

The beginning of November brought with it an opportunity to attend to some important unfinished business. Prior to Halloween we asked the children to consider the desperate plight of children in Rwanda and Malawi and to take action.  After some debate a school goal of $800 was unanimously agreed to with the promise that Mr. Thorpe would shave his head if the students were successful in their fund raising efforts. They of course immediately took up the cause and by month’s end had raised almost $1300, an amazing result by anyone’s standards. As promised, an anxious Mr. Thorpe submitted to having his head shaved much to the delight of the student body and a handful of curious parents. Buoyed by the success of this year’s campaign and the promise of a warm, fitted toque, courtesy of the Knitting Club, to protect his newly shorn head from the elements, Mr. Thorpe vowed to subject himself to a similar shearing next fall should the students exceed next year’s goal. Ladies and gentlemen start your clippers.

November also provided opportunities to reflect on the past and those who made great sacrifices for the greater good. During the Remembrance Day ceremony at Gleneagles the children listened intently to hear heart felt performances by the band and choir and were clearly touched by the powerful imagery accompanying the reading of ‘In Flanders Fields’. Not content to simply observe, this year the students performed two songs that spoke to the power of peace and love which were very well received, particularly by the distinguished veterans in attendance. It was clear by some of the comments overheard on the bus ride back to the village that many of the students had come away with a much deeper understanding of why we wear the poppy. Lest we forget.

By mid month the children’s attention shifted abruptly from poppies to penguins as the school began preparing for the Christmas concert. As rehearsals began in earnest it became abundantly clear that this production would once again be very much a community effort. Indeed, from backdrops to costumes to programs to treats, everyone has stepped up to contribute without a moment’s hesitation. Not to be outdone, our budding young thespians have fully immersed themselves in their roles as if born to the profession. Clearly, the Christmas spirit is alive and well at our little school. Now if we can only figure what to do with that pesky population of penguins.

As the month drew to a close the children were reminded that there is truly no place like home, during a thirty minute presentation to launch the beginning of the Harvest Project Food Drive. Like the UNICEF campaign before it, this is an opportunity for our children to once again significantly impact the lives of other children, albeit much closer to home. Indeed, of the over 900 people that access the food, clothing and support services provided by the Harvest Project each month 275 are children. It is an opportunity to make a difference, to help families remain intact with a roof over their heads in very difficult economic times. The children were challenged to help empower these families, to lend a hand up. To no one’s surprise the children readily accepted recognizing all the while that there is truly, no place like home.
 

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