Tag: fall

Categories
Traditions

A Great Day Out

By Kaye Hauschild
Lakehill Preparatory School, Head of Middle School

Do you know when there is a day that is so close to perfect that you are kind of waiting for the stray rain cloud to fly over and mess it up? I had one of those perfect days last Friday and was able to share it with all of my students and my fellow teachers. It was Fall Day Out at Lakehill, of course, and we took the day off to go to the farm.

I am not normally an outdoorsy person. I cringe at cow paddies and have to stop myself from sending really creepy spiders into a different atmosphere. A day at the farm is so much more than bugs and such; it is a day to get to know each other in a whole different way.

At the farm, everyone is free to explore. We walk the open grounds of the pasture and we build something with the tree branches saved for fire wood. We get to know some very skittish chickens and we soar high on a rope swing. We laugh as loudly as we like without disturbing anyone and we join in games that do not require a plug.

We get to sit on the porch and talk, sometimes making new friends and other times celebrating such rare time with old friends. These are just some of the things that make for a special day and a long-kept memory. I truly love Fall Day Out!

Lara Gajkowski and Kaye Hauschild grill burgers for 150 hungry Middle School students.

 

Hayride Fun

 

Having fun with good friends.

Categories
Family and Community

November in Texas

By Roger L. Perry
Headmaster, Lakehill Preparatory School 

The month of November is a very special time. The weather seems to change ever so slightly in October, but in November there is usually a hint that summer is almost complete. Yes, I know that it seems outrageous to people in most of the United States to say that summer is just now ending, but remember last week almost every day topped out in the eighty degree category.

There is something special about the seasons changing, the leaves falling, and the temperatures becoming more comfortable. At a recent meeting held at Lakehill’s Alice and Erle Nye Family Environmental Science Center, one could hardly miss the yellow and orange leaves slowly falling as if it were snowing. The experience lightens the heavy feeling of those hot temperatures.

This time of year also begins a season of people being nicer to each other and taking time to pause and thank each other for even the smallest things. The exhibition of kindness and civility gives me hope that human nature really is about doing the right things and sharing our planet with others in the most positive way. I think we often forget that our interactions with others have an impact on their lives and on our own.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving signals the start of many opportunities to share our lives with our family. I am so thankful that this time of year exists for me to remember family members who are present and those who are no longer here but have helped shape me into the person I am. All of us have a remarkable opportunity to impact the lives of others and during this time of Thanksgiving and celebrations we can make this world a better place for all of us! I thank you for your role in making this a better world for me.

Categories
Family and Community

A Thanksgiving Assignment

By Patti Brooks
Lower School Coordinator, Lakehill Preparatory School 

I LOVE Thanksgiving!

It is the time of year that pansies are planted, cold breezes blow in, fireplaces fill the night air with that campfire smell, and good food is coupled with hugs from loved ones!  As a second grade teacher, I always found myself discussing favorite memories with my students about this wonderful holiday. My favorite assignment was to have them write an acrostic poem about Thanksgiving. Since I don’t have a chance to assign this task to others this year, I will do it myself, so here goes:

T=Thankfully surrounded by that special, talented group, called the Lower School faculty

H=Having the most wonderful students in Dallas

A=Always knowing that I was “at home” in the halls of Lakehill

N=Never doubting the importance of the supportive parents

K=Knowing that children’s happiness was #1

S=Seeing self-confident smiles daily

G=Giving proud hugs with many tears at Baccalaureate each year

I=Interested in the opinions of others, young and old

V=Very thankful for the close friendships I have formed

I=Impressed by the leadership of dedicated professionals

N=Not forgetting that my wonderful family has supported my dedication to Lakehill

G=Grateful that 29 years ago Mr. Perry said, “Yes” to my teacher application at Lakehill

Categories
Spirit

Coming Home

By Katie Becker
Social Studies Department Chair and Alumna, Lakehill Preparatory School 

October has always been my favorite month. In Texas, October means that fall is officially here and the oppressive heat is replaced with cool breezes and changing foliage. When October arrives, it’s time to visit the State Fair of Texas to eat a Fletcher’s corny dog and see Big Tex.

October also means that football season is in full swing and it’s time for homecoming. This year on Friday, October 14, Lakehill will celebrate this annual tradition with alumni coming home, high school girls wearing mums, and everyone enjoying the cool weather as they watch the football team under the Friday night lights.

When I was a student at Lakehill I loved homecoming week. It was spirited, fun, and ended with a dance. How could it get any better? I don’t think I realized at the time what homecoming truly meant for the school and the alumni who returned home to visit their alma mater. But it all made sense when I returned for my first true homecoming during my first year in college. While I had only been at college for a month or so, I felt an entirely new sense of community from the school I had graduated from just months earlier. Where once I was merely a student within the immediate confines of the school, now I was part of a much larger community – a network of accomplished and interesting individuals. I felt a new sense of spirit and a pride in my school that eventually drew me back to teach here. Now I enjoy celebrating homecoming week as a teacher and as an alumna. And this year I look forward to sharing homecoming with my husband and two future Lakehill alumni.

This year a new tradition is taking place and adding to the spirit of homecoming week. Festivities start at 2:00 p.m. on the Lakehill main campus with a homecoming parade, complete with student-made floats, the homecoming court, and former homecoming queens. The parade will lead the entire school around the building to the gym for the annual pep rally that starts at 2:30.  And later at Perry Field, both Middle School and High School football teams will play Rockwall Christian with games starting at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively. The alumni tent will host all alumni in a welcome dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. I look forward to sharing in the homecoming fun with all past, current, and future students and their families.