Students Bring Back the Orchard Post Office for a Month of Gratitude
Keep scrolling to see photos from the Post Office.
Message from HOS Sherri Helvie:
This school year has been one of celebration and planning for the future as we mark our centennial and begin the work of implementing our new strategic plan, but for me, most of all, it has been a year of reflection. I write a great deal for my own personal reflection and planning, and as I have reviewed my journals from the last three years, I’m confirmed in knowing that there are three things that I will never take for granted in the future: the health and wellbeing of our community members; the ability to gather in person with close friends and family; and seeing the smiles of our students, teachers, parents, and staff every day as we share the happy work of educating and raising our children together.
Message from HOS Sherri Helvie:
This school year has been one of celebration and planning for the future as we mark our centennial and begin the work of implementing our new strategic plan, but for me, most of all, it has been a year of reflection. I write a great deal for my own personal reflection and planning, and as I have reviewed my journals from the last three years, I’m confirmed in knowing that there are three things that I will never take for granted in the future: the health and wellbeing of our community members; the ability to gather in person with close friends and family; and seeing the smiles of our students, teachers, parents, and staff every day as we share the happy work of educating and raising our children together.
In the month of November, it has been our Orchard students who have reminded me that gratitude is not only a feeling but also intentional acts of kindness and connection. This month our middle schoolers launched a school-wide gratitude project, and revived the Orchard Post Office. For the last four weeks, members of our community have been writing letters of gratitude to the people in our school lives, and all of our Middle School students have joined in not only as letter writers, but also as mail sorters and deliverers, making it possible to share thanks school-wide for our community in a very personal and meaningful way. I’ve attached the presentation created by fifth-grade teacher Allison Housefield so you can see how our students began. As is always the case, I find the work of our students and the lessons they learn to be the best example for all of us as we enter this season of Thanksgiving.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel captured my feelings perfectly in an interview from 2000:
“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.”
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love, gratitude, and lots and lots of smiles.
Sherri C. Helvie, Ph.D.
Head of School
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