Festivals
| The celebration of festivals has been an integral component of the Greenwood School community since its founding in 1991. The festivals are times when students, teachers and families come together to experience how the yearly cycle of the seasons create a rhythm that resonates in nature and within us, that nourishes us. The festivals are joyful events when we as individuals and as a school community gather to reconnect with each other to experience the meaningfulness of nature’s cycles. We celebrate four community festivals at Greenwood — at seasonal junctures — which mark the rhythms of nature: turning inward (inhaling) in autumn and winter, and expanding outward (exhaling) in spring and summer. Teachers work with their students throughout the year to integrate seasonal themes which will then culminate in the shared festival celebrations. There are additional special festivals and recitals throughout the year as well, some of which are described here. | ||
| Harvest/Halloween Festival: We begin school right before autumn, when nature begins to focus her energies inwards. Our Harvest/Halloween Festivals happen in October as we gratefully reap the last of summer’s bounty and we begin to make preparations for a colder, darker season to come. There is a joyful, celebratory aspect to this festival: all attendees are invited to put on a costume and live into their imagination. Each grade creates a booth with seasonal activities such as caramel apples, making pine cone bird feeders, cookie decorating, etc. We gather together in a redwood grove near the school to share a meal, to share seasonal crafts and activities, and to celebrate out of a spirit of imagination. View Slideshow View Video |
 |
|
| Kindergarten Harvest Festival: Our Kindergarten and their families participate in their own age-appropriate festival to celebrate the changing of the seasons with the four elements; earth, air, fire and water. View Slideshow |
 |
|
|
“El Dio de los Muertos,” — The Day of the Dead is a yearly event celebrated in Spanish speaking cultures. At this time we experience an introspective aspect of the festival season. Many cultures see the beginning of November as a time when the veil between the physical, sensory world and the spiritual world is thin and the influence of the spiritual world can be sensed. We learn and remember, at this time, that all things must pass. We remember our ancestors by setting up a simple altar — a table covered by a pretty cloth upon which will be placed objects and photos that remind us of loved ones who have passed away — so that we can remember and share our love for those who are no longer with us.
View Slideshow |
 |
|
| Winter Faire — Holiday fun for the whole family: this is a day of imagination and fun with games, crafts, musical entertainment, stories, and as many chances as you dare to steal treasure from a hibernating bear. We host a distinctive vendors market that is rich in arts, crafts, toys, and seasonal items. Families from all over the Bay Area come for the unique and traditional holiday experience. View Flyer |
 |
|
|
Evergreen Spiral — Our Evergreen Spiral Festival occurs near the winter solstice, the coldest, darkest time of the year. This is a season when we must journey within to find inner light, inspiration, and hope. The gym is transformed through creating a beautiful spiral made from evergreen branches. The room is dark except for the candle at the center of the spiral. Each child walks the spiral to its center, lights his/her candle and places it somewhere on the spiral as they exit. What begins as a dark room ends as a bright, warm room filled with the light and warmth that each child brings to the spiral: reminding us that in our darkest moments that light will once again return.
|
 |
|
| Spring Festival: The Spring Festival comes in March when we joyfully celebrate the life energy that is bursting all around us. This is a time when the hope we experienced during winter is manifesting itself all around us in the natural world, where life emerges from the death of winter. The entire school hikes in their class groups up Mount Tamalpais, from different trail heads. The Environmental Studies Program teachers lead the hikes to a magnificent peak overlooking the Marin headlands, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean. Our joyful celebration reflects the joy in the surrounding natural world at this beautiful time of year. We share songs, games, a special celebration, and a meal together, and then hike back down the mountain filled with a renewed sense of nature’s beneficence and the richness of community life. View Slideshow |
 |
|
| Spring Recital — This is a festive evening of presentations by each class in the school. Class presentations may include choral speech, recorder ensembles, eurythmy, drama, singing, and orchestral performances showcasing what our children have learned during the school year. Often, the entire school, first through eighth grade, performs a musical piece for the assembled parent community. This is a delightful experience that highlights the joy of learning that is alive at Greenwood School. View Slideshow |
 |
|
| May Festival — The May Festival is celebrated toward the end of the month of May, just before summer begins. At this time we anticipate and celebrate the peak of the sun’s energy even as our own energy radiates outward. We celebrate life in all its forms, the manifesting fertility of the earth — the joy of life itself — and of community. A maypole is erected at the Redwood Lodge, a beautiful redwood grove in walking distance from the school, where each grade gifts the assembled school community (and the May Queen) with a maypole dance. Students, teachers, and parents dress in festive clothes and wear handmade flower garlands. This festival has traditionally been held after lunch and we serve tea and desserts. View Video |
 |
|
We look forward to many joyous, beautiful, and meaningful community gatherings shared together at the Festivals!