Gratitude and hope among the shadows

Today's gratitude assembly ended with a sweet ritual. 

 

Over the week, students had written messages of gratitude. 

 

In past years, they'd written these messages on construction paper leaves. This year, they used real fallen leaves.

 

After the last song of the assembly, students climbed the sledding hill to the site where the largest willow tree once stood. 

 

 

There, grade by grade, they threw their leaves into the air.

 

Their messages of gratitude flew over their heads for a moment, then returned to the earth, where they will decay and help fuel the next generation of growth on Gordon's campus.