Are you looking for a handcrafted balsam and white pine wreath, decorated with milkweed pods, winterberries, and a splendid ribbon? How about special holiday gifts made locally? A bowl of homemade chowder? A basket of dozens of different Christmas cookies chosen by you? The chance to win a theme-decorated tree (think “kitchen,” or “gift certificates” or “horses”)? Christmas cactus in radiant bloom?
Stop by The Community School’s annual open house on Saturday, December 6 from 10-2. Spend time visiting with friends and neighbors. Get a tour of the school from one of our students. Appreciate the live fiddle music of Taylor Whiteside.
Pre-order your wreath ($20) or kissing ball ($25) by calling us at 323-7000 or emailing bearcamp@communityschoolnh.org.
What can you do with a burn pile that’s mounted up over the years? Make art, of course.
Eco artist Cynthia Robinson is working with all of our students this year, suggesting that art is something that can be created in the unlikeliest places with materials most of us leave behind for worthless.
These sculptures are emphemeral. They will eventually be sorted into non-burnable and burnable categories. A bonfire on Thursday, October 30, will be managed by our Changes in the Land class and its teacher and forestry professional Joslin Heyn.
- Pumpkins and squash await good homes
Ready to bob for those apples?
Pumpkin decorating
- Fiddler Taylor Whiteside at last year’s Harvest Fest
FALL FUN FOR THE FAMILY — RAIN OR SHINE
The Community School will be hosting its annual Harvest Fest, Saturday, October 4th from 10 AM till 2 PM. There will be apple bobbing, face painting, and pumpkin decorating, plus fun games in the field for the kids.
Come enjoy music by local folk musicians Ed and Heidi Fayle and stock up on squash, pumpkins, and other fall produce from the school’s 4-acre certified organic farm. Feeling hungry? Join us at the picnic tables for lunch: hot soups, cider, and homemade bread. If you still have room, you can top it all off with some yummy apple crisp or a slice of fresh pie. Whole pies are available at the farm stand.
Celebrate the Harvest Season and find out what is new this year in the innovative atmosphere of this local day school where the students learn by doing. Tours of the school will be available.
We are now clearing the understory (young saplings) which inhibit the growth of our White Pine stand. Stretch your limbs, enjoy the beauty of the forest and the satisfaction of working with your neighbors to support a good cause.
The Community School is situated on 300+ acres of land open to the public through a conservation easement held by the town of Tamworth. The land includes forests with trails, fields with gardens, boggy areas full of birds, and more. This easement allows the school to manage the land according to sound principles while teaching the next generation of land stewards how to enhance the quality of future timber, improve wildlife habitat, provide for recreational use, and practice sustainable farming.
If you can join this community building day, please bring a lunch and plenty of water. We’ll have loads of fresh vegetables to offer up from our farm stand for lunch. Bring bow saws, lopping shears, or–if you’re qualified–a chainsaw or brush saw.
Ruby and Killian collect data in test plot.
James clears undergrowth in forestry class.
It feels great to be working outdoors!
Students Lieb, James, and Eric cheer on and direct Reach the Beach relay teams to The Community School.
On Friday, September 12, parents and students of The Community School spent their evening directing, welcoming, and feeding runner participants of New Hampshire’s annual Reach the Beach Relay. A cheerful, well-lighted “transition station” along the runners’ way from Franconia Notch to Hampton Beach, the school received thanks and enthusiasm from wet and hungry participants. Their donations will help support The Community School and its scholarship fund.
Parents Lisa Parker and Chris Lydecker preside at the timing table. Above, Brenda Mallory lights the way for entering runners.
Parent volunteers Nancy Calnan and Joan Hodges tempt incoming RTB runners with tasty carbs.
Families and staff met for a pre-opening day potluck in late August. School began September 2, with an orientation that emphasized cooperation and understanding of place. Students worked in the school garden and kitchen, canoed and kayaked in the Bearcamp Pond, and hiked the Bearcamp River Trail, a section of which meanders through school lands.
A generous scholarship donation in August allowed us to offer a place to several new students eager to join The Community School.
Seniors meet in August to discuss college plans and senior projects
Director Jenny Rowe with relaxed students and parents before the year begins
Junior Schyler kayaks on Bearcamp Pond during orientation
Introductions on the first day
Music in the gardens
The musical talent concentrated in the little area called the Bearcamp Valley is enormously impressive and soon to be displayed for public appreciation. On Saturday, August 23, from 5-8pm, The Community School will host a local musician showcase on its garden stage in South Tamworth.
Folk and bluegrass gem, Peter Heimlich, will act as master of ceremonies for the evening’s revue. The eclectic line up includes the smoky notes of jazz, familiar rock tunes, a smattering of folk and Celtic favorites, and the spunky sounds of Tamworth’s own alternative band, MarketPlace Hysteria. You can expect to hear some fiddling, a zither, and perhaps some African drumming. There will be room for dancing!
Folks are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket, and to pack a dinner or purchase food from The Community School gardens and kitchens. For $5, enjoy a plate with three different salads OR a piece of Sunnyfield Bakery bread with sliced cold turkey and one salad. Bottled water and ice cream cones are available for $1 each.
Sound will be generously provided by Dennis Quinn and the Arts Council of Tamworth (ACT), so every note will ring clear in the evening air.
Admission costs are $10 for adults and $3 for children under 18. Bring the family, your neighbors, and friends for one of the biggest frolics of the summer! For more information or directions, contact The Community School at 323-7000 or at director@communityschoolnh.org.
