February 14, 2023
Foothill Adventist Elementary students are healing and learning through their school garden. Hilltop Christian School students are honoring a historic walk and making connections at their monthly vespers.
Foothill Adventist Elementary
School Garden Brings Healing
For Foothills Elementary students, one of the best reasons to be back on campus was growing a garden. Last school year they started with seeds in the greenhouse and watched as the seedlings sprouted and grew. They waited for them to become healthy enough to transplant and dreamed of eating lunch from their own schoolyard.
By May, they were harvesting lettuce, radishes, and kale. Corn grew inches each day and awaited the students to return in August for this school year. The garden provides daily learning opportunities for students and teachers. They can deal with frustration and celebrate success together. Because of the multi-age classrooms, tasks that would seem daunting to younger students are easily managed with the help of older peers. Gardening together has helped students and teachers heal from the losses of the Glass Fire and reassures them that new growth takes time, but the rewards are delicious.
Hilltop Christian School
Ruby Bridges Walk
Six-year-old Ruby Bridges stepped into the history books in 1960 when she integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, becoming a national icon for the civil rights movement. Today her story continues to inspire the next generation of leaders to end racism together one step at a time.
Mrs. Rosalind Altheimer, art teacher at Hilltop, and her Girl Scout troop from Hilltop and the surrounding community, organized Hilltop’s very first Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Nov. 14, 2022. The entire campus, including preschool and parents, got together first thing in the morning to commemorate Ruby’s historic steps and the movement that she started. They walked a few blocks surrounding the campus, which consisted of about 1.5 miles. It was a unifying experience for all.
Vespers Connections
Every month on the second Friday, Hilltop hosts a school vespers. With its student body being 80% non-Adventist, the idea was that it would be a great way to introduce school families to the church. Each vespers is organized by a different class to showcase what is being done in the classroom. The event brings the church and school together and ministers to the community. Afterward, there are always refreshments to encourage families to stay and socialize and form connections.
