The Studio School

Thanksgiving: We Gather Together

As we end the fall trimester, we gather as a community for a special luncheon prepared by our students. Every aspect of the gathering is a true collaboration: the delicious dishes cooked by our students, teachers, and staff, the delightfully crafted table settings, the inspiring murals painted by mixed-age groups of children, and the beautiful choral singing. This joyous and meaningful event sets the stage for the intellectual, heartfelt, and soulful pursuits that will inform the curriculum and community experiences for the rest of our year.

If only we could bottle up the joy of creativity and community that filled our school building these past weeks as we ushered in our first collective gathering of the year! One student remarked, “See what’s possible when we all work together?!” We created a feast for the senses on every level!

Ms. Rotter opened the event, welcoming everyone and introducing our theme: “Throughout this year, we are going to embrace, study, explore, and experience the many meanings of possibility. This word is so relevant and needed now, and always has been. Today, with open hearts and open minds, I invite you to share in our possibility.”

She then turned the microphone over to Daniel ‘24, who read to us a poem he wrote about the resilience of our earth, followed by Payson ‘24 and Rodney ‘24, who recited an Apache Blessing, showering us with beauty and hope.

There is nothing like the power of poetry to inspire us! Ms. Bennett, Zooming in from California to the New York island, then led our entire community in writing a poem together. Students, teachers, parents, and guests all shared images, phrases, and words. What emerged was a beautiful collective piece about the possibility that exists within humanity.

Mural Series painted by children ages 6-14

We all then joined together for our community sing-along, led by Ms. Rotter and Ms. Sposito, and accompanied by Ms. Yoshizumi and Linus ‘24. It was so uplifting to hear the voices of many generations harmonizing together about peace, growth, liberty, and freedom for all.

The Gathering ended with a delicious meal of roast turkey, baked beans, quinoa and brown rice stuffing, cornbread, green beans, whipped sweet potatoes, Mr. Welber's special cranberry sauce, and everyone's favorite - pumpkin pie!

From the words we sang in each song, to the beautiful imagery of each mural painted and hung on the walls, messages of our shared gratitude, hope, and love abounded. We are so grateful to each and every one of you. From all of us at The Studio School, we hope you and yours shared a Thanksgiving filled with peace, health, connection, and began imagining POSSIBILITY.