This week’s posting will have to fall under the seasonally appropriate title of “Cornucopia” since I hope to mention a mixed bag of topics. As a former (do you ever really become a former teacher?) Latin and English teacher of nearly two decades, I can’t help but first digress into the derivation of the word. Obviously, it is Latin. It comes from two words “cornu” meaning “horn” or “wing” and “copia” meaning “full” as in copius. So here is my “horn of plenty” blog for the week:
First, since it is National Bullying Prevention Month and I am also a former middle school principal I want to direct your attention to the article linked below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackie-ostfeld/nature-cure-for-bullying_b_1987758.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
This angle on the issue is of particular relevance to me personally. I have experience on all sides of the bullying issue and can say with confidence that Ms. Ostfeld’s observations are spot on. Her article is yet another indication that we need to balance the various and ever increasing demands on our children’s time with both structured and unstructured experiences with nature.
Next, I want to recognize an incredible cast of dedicated people who make the Irvine experience possible though their generosity. We hosted our fifth annual Pumpkins on the Green event here last Friday. Nearly eight hundred community members descended upon Irvine for a casual night celebrating the season with exceptional food from Linwoods, music from the Nightlife Band, and an auction with something for everyone. Our event co-hosts, Eric and Lacie DeCosta and Toby and Robin Bozzuto, did an unbelievable job gathering support on both the corporate and individual levels making the event’s success a certainty. I want to thank all the great folks from M&T Bank, the Ravens, Brown Advisory, Constellation, CharmCityRun, Medifast, Transamerica, T. Rowe Price, Croft Funds Corp, Hill & Co Realtors, and all of the rest of our sponsors for setting a new record in terms of attendance and funds raised.
Third into the “Cornucopia” is recognition of our Outdoor Classroom’s successful recertification. I want to thank Emily Stransky, our volunteer group leader, for coordinating the effort. In case you are not aware of what this entails or even what an outdoor classroom looks like, check out the Nature Explore site http://www.natureexplore.org/classrooms/ for more information. If you have your own Outdoor Classroom and want to share ideas with us here at Irvine, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!
Finally, I want to plug this weekend’s PumpkinFest here at Irvine. This is a family oriented event we do each year to bring parents and children to Irvine to celebrate the harvest. The festival runs both Saturday (11am-4pm) and Sunday (noon-4pm) and tickets are available at the door ($15 for children, adults are free). We will have face painting, animal encounters, straw bale maze, pumpkin bowling, cider making, black smithing, scarecrow making, tractor rides, and so much more. I hope to see you here at Irvine this weekend!
