Red Cedar School: 2009

12/5/09

Red Cedar Students Glean Produce for Local Food Shelves

Red Cedar students participated in a service project this fall that contributed produce to local food shelves and raised money for the school’s scholarship fund. Three area farms opened their fields to the students to glean vegetables as the fall harvest was winding down. The students gleaned potatoes, broccoli, spinach, chard, carrots, and radishes at New Leaf Organics in Bristol, Elmer Farm in Middlebury, and The Last Resort Farm in Monkton. The produce was delivered to the Addison County Emergency Food Shelf in Middlebury and to the John Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes.

The upper elementary group meets with Jill Kopel, owner of New Leaf Organics in Bristol.

Efforts are growing nationwide to focus attention on the value of gleaning—the gathering of edible crops that would otherwise be left in the field—for providing fresh produce to community food shelves. Our project was assisted by Addison County’s gleaning coordinator, Corinne Almquist (corinne.almquist@gmail.com).

The group heads off to the fields with Jill.

Schuyler, Isaiah, Lena, and Izzi dig carrots.

Red Cedar families created a three-way benefit for this project by getting pledges from relatives and friends for the project. Through the pledges, the school raised $3,000 for its scholarship fund. All students joined in the gleaning as a community service project. The students picked 366 pounds of vegetables.

Henry and Charlie at work

Isaiah washes radishes

Radishes in their glory

11/29/09

Red Cedar Students Bid Farewell to the Champlain Bridge

Last week each of the groups went to Middlebury to see the new bridge under construction, and out to Crown Point to say good-bye to the historic Champlain Bridge (or as it's known locally - The Crown Point Bridge). Along the way we also took note of every bridge we saw or crossed. It was a bridge kind of day.

Crossing the pedestrian bridge over the Otter Creek in Middlebury, below the falls.

We stopped at Frog Hollow to draw the old stone bridge above the falls.

Nadine

At the construction site for the new bridge. A set of the huge girders had been delivered and put in place a few days before.

Drawing at the new bridge site.

Heading back through town, Zave leads the pack, about to cross over the stone bridge.

Snack at the Marble Works, by the falls.

Out at Crown Point, at the renamed (as seen on the sign) 'No Bridge Restaurant.'

The middle school group by the Crown Point bridge. The bridge opened in 1929. The bridge will probably be demolished before the lake freezes this winter.

Bo helps to keep the bridge up for now.

Good-bye beautiful Crown Point Bridge.

11/1/09

Thanks, Everybody, For a Great Party!

10/3/09

Red Cedar Students Start Year with Hikes and Wilderness Trips

The middle school group spent the first three days of school backpacking on Mt. Mansfield - three days of endless conversation, bantering, catching up with each other, welcoming the new students, exploring, enjoying what good shape we got in over the summer or suffering because of how little we'd done. Warm sunny days, clear nights, no bugs.