The Rookery

I was really proud of our older students this Valentines Day.  When I talked to the Herons about the teachers' decision to re-focus Valentines Day on friendship instead of candy I was nervous.  However, they listened respectfully and even agreed.  On Tuesday, instead of lamenting the loss of Conversation Hearts and Nerds, they created some beautiful, hand-made Valentines including heart chariots, origami boxes and scrapbook hearts.  Their leadership set the positive tone for the entire school.

Tuesday's celebration was a lot of fun.  My favorite part was the fifth graders traveling through the "Tunnel of Love" and receiving a hug from each memeber of the staff.  But I also, for the first time in a long time, enjoyed opening our Valentines.  As the students emptied their bags and began to go through their Valentines, they seemed more thoughtful.  Several students commented that they "actually took the time to read the Valentines" instead of just worrying about which candy they were going to eat.

I am not anti-candy (far from it) but it was lovely to see 180 students enjoying notes from each other and really thinking about the connections they have to each other.  That said, I promised the Herons I would suggest that in lieu of those chalky Conversation Hearts, you might be able to take them to the Cocoa Bean this weekend to pick up a treat.

Here are a few video clips of our celebration: