Modeling resilience and grit: Madrona School's outdoor wintertime festival

Dear Madrona School Community,

When we planned our outdoor Spiral of Light festival last month, we could not have imagined the cold, the wet and the dark that we faced last Sunday. If I had known the type of weather we would endure on December 12, I probably would have supported postponing the celebration for a second year. But we are committed to bringing back as much normalcy and opportunity for connection as we safely can, so we went through with it.

I am so glad we did. This year's Spiral of Light was not just reverent and beautiful, it was a testament to our strength individually, as a faculty and as a community. The luminaries that marked the obstacle-filled path from the gate to the lower yard stayed lit. The candles were placed underneath the portion of greenery covered by the awning so that the spiral was compact and beautiful. Just enough people attended to make the event feel full, but it ended just as my fingertips were a minute shy from frozen. Sometimes the rain would beat so heavily on the awning that it drowned out the sound of the singers. But we knew they were there, and we appreciated them. The children sat still, enraptured by the spectacle. This year's Spiral of Light was my favorite in the 22 years I have taken part in Madrona events. And if we had cancelled due to bad weather, I would not have those memories.

We are helping our students to build this same fortitude. Most of them spend all day outside, rain or shine. They are developing the inner strength to face obstacles and to forge on undeterred when things get hard. They are creating memories that will last a lifetime. In her article ‘He can't read yet, but he can build a campfire: welcome to Viking parenting' British writer, Helen Russell, describes the Danish attitude to parenting. This struck a chord with me. You might say that we are doing a little Viking educating here at Madrona School. I know I felt a little like a Viking on Sunday evening (disguised as an angel;))

Sincerely, Jocelyn Waite
Head of School