难以忘怀的感恩节

By Samantha Taxter ’22, 视野 Media Intern

MHS students 和 adults gathered before Fall Break to celebrate community 和 gratitude.

The 2021 Harvest Luncheon was hosted by the sophomore class in the Thatcher Family Gymnasium on the Wednesday before Fall Break. All members of the Miss Hall’s community were greeted at the door 和 met with an immediate sense of gratitude 和 love. Carefully picked folk music filled the space, 和 table groups began to chatter amongst themselves. Past traditions at Miss Hall’s were finally being reintroduced, 在因新冠疫情而中断了一年的学习之后.

After guests found their assigned tables, Class President 拿俄米的24 took the stage to begin her opening remarks. Naomi shared an overview of the event 和 its purpose, 强调给予的重要性, 升值, 和在一起. “While not everybody celebrates Thanksgiving, we believe that this tradition is important for celebrating community 和 giving thanks,娜奥米说.

The room erupted with applause 和 support as Welmerly的24 和 蜂蜜的24 presented research on the history of Thanksgiving 和 the l和 on which we celebrate it. Their work drew awareness to the fact that “we are taught in a mindset that only some stories matter.” The Luncheon was created in hopes of reinforcing positive aspects of Thanksgiving, while also informing the community of the ways in which its story 和 practice are flawed.

班副主席 艾拉的24 then recognized people who made the event possible, 比如烹饪和维护团队, 的同学, 还有班级顾问. She also announced Chef Russ as the turkey-carver, a role given to a staff member who is looked up to in the community. Chef Russ 和 longtime Culinary Team member Sue Wojcik then carved the bird. 优雅的音符, 澳门威利斯网站的学生领导了一个无伴奏合唱团, 上台演唱《澳门威利斯网站》,” a traditional Shaker song 和 MHS tradition, 和 拿俄米的24 reminded guests to be respectful of the hard work that took place to make the Luncheon a reality.

Planning for this year’s reimagined event began earlier in the year 和 was incorporated into the sophomore 视野 experience, allowing students to take more ownership of the luncheon, 地平线主任埃里卡·沃什伯恩指出. “I wanted to reimagine the Harvest Luncheon as a student-led initiative that would serve as an authentic performance of their learning, while also serving a need for connection with the community.”

Students self-selected into groups divided by task 和 were provided with parameters 和 guidelines around what needed to get done, 但, 最终, they were the ones deciding how things got done. Student committees h和led details such as planning the menu, 设计与美学, 通信, 布局, 教育规划, 和更多的.

主持丰收午宴, we wanted to meet the needs of our community by providing space to be together 和 focus on gratitude, while also recognizing the historical context of these holidays 和 events,” Ms. 沃什伯恩补充说. “Knowing the history is important when we’re celebrating an event, so we wanted to make sure the students understood the tradition of this event at Miss Hall’s, as well as the broader historical significance of Thanksgiving in a way that centers the voices of indigenous people.”

全班学生阅读历史文献, 主要来自母语, 和 watched videos 和 explored the events of Thanksgiving. “One of the things we also wanted to continue was making sure our approach to learning history was experiential,” Ms. 沃什伯恩说. “Service is also important, so we incorporated that into our work.”

In October, 10th graders visited three local farms — Abode Farm (看到照片)，位于新罕布什尔州新黎巴嫩.Y.; Shaker Creek Farm (看到照片)，在拿骚，N.Y.; 和 Rock Steady Farm (看到照片)，位于北卡罗来纳州的米勒顿.Y. 参观农场, learn more about local food systems 和 foodways, 和 participate in harvesting 和 other work. 接下来的一周, they visited three museums — the Berkshire Museum in downtown Pittsfield, 比德韦尔故居博物馆(看到照片), 和 Mass MoCA in North Adams — that were hosting special exhibitions related to indigenous history 和 culture, including the history of the Mohican people who first inhabited the Berkshires.

Students used information gleaned from the trips to inform their planning for the event.

例如, the menu spotlighted locally sourced ingredients 和 foods unique to nearby indigenous cultures, 包括壁球界的“三姐妹”, 玉米(玉米), 和豆类. 还有烤鳕鱼, 野生大米沙拉, 还有烤火鸡, 和 dishes were inclusive of dietary restrictions. Buffet-style dining allowed guests to make choices 和 enjoy plates of their own.

在每张桌子上, community members were encouraged to connect with people they wouldn’t normally sit with at a typical lunch. Seating charts were thoughtfully planned to promote new friendships. Typical conversations were about the upcoming Fall Break, 全球传统, 最喜欢的食物, 最重要的是, 感恩.

The luncheon came to a close with slices of pumpkin pie 和 apple crisp, 还有闭幕致辞，来自 琼娜的24. “We would like to thank all the sophomores for their hard work,” Joana said. “我们还要感谢布朗博士. 伯班克女士. 帮助我们准备的沃什伯恩.” In an organized fashion, each table helped clean up. Students 和 staff reconnected with their peers on the walk back up to the Main Building.

The Harvest Luncheon provided the Miss Hall’s community with a moment of connectedness 和 closure before departing for a highly anticipated Fall Break.