Pam Coulter Blehert art
“I am one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do something that I can.”
— Helen Keller
(Media release) — Friday is yet another DOE Furlough Friday – no classes statewide for all regular public school students. But for Waimea Middle School students, it will be classes as usual because teachers and staff have decided to remain open – a local decision they are empowered to make having voted to because the state’s first public conversion charter school in 2003.
Staying open – and funding these work days out of the limited budget for public charter schools – is not without challenges.
For example: The DOE has decreed that Waimea Elementary School cafeteria staff, who are contracted to regularly feed middle school students, may not prepare and serve breakfast and lunch on Furlough Fridays, even though they are UPW members and are “on the clock.” It’s beyond the control of the cafeteria staff. So, Waimea Middle School is faced with providing hearty, healthy snacks to support student learning and encourage attendance on DOE Furlough Fridays.
This week, WMS students will participate in a special school-wide “lesson” about everyone doing what they can by first reading the story about “Stone Soup,” and then making a local version of this famous magical soup.Students will be asked by their homeroom teacher to bring one ingredient – perhaps a cleaned, chopped potato, carrot or onion. The Mala’ai school garden has contributed fresh Kabocha – delicious Japanese pumpkin – and fresh herbs grown by students. And the teachers, students and staff will prepare roasters of magical Portuguese Bean Soup in the certified home economics classroom for all to enjoy.
Consequently, students do not need to bring home lunch – something that’s become routine for other DOE Furlough Fridays at WMS.
“We thank our teachers and staff for turning a challenging situation into a great life lesson for our students and we thank our families for helping by contributing one ingredient,” said Principal John Colson.
“We won’t need home lunches this week; magically, there’ll be plenty of delicious ‘Stone Soup’ for all,” said Colson.
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The Tale of Stone Soup
There’s a wonderful old tale of French soldiers walking into a country town – quite hungry and needing food. Traditionally, soldiers were fed by the townspeople back then — it was written into the constitution. But this time it made the townspeople angry. “Hide your food; let them think we’re poor,” said someone in the gathering crowd.
When the soldiers asked if they had any food to share, the answer was, “Oh no, we’re too poor.”
One of the soldiers said, “Well, if we had a really large pot, we could make you some Stone Soup…right here I hold a magic stone.” And he showed them the stone.
So, one lady got a very large pot and filled it with water. And the soldier threw in the stone. When it came to a full boil, one of the soldiers tasted it.
“Oh, it would be better if we just had salt to add to the water.” And someone offered a bit of salt.
The soldier tasted it again. “Wonderful flavor but it would be so much better with a bone or two!”
And someone said he had a bone for the dog and fetched it.
And so it goes. Pretty soon all the villagers were contributing something — perhaps just one potato…or an onion or carrot…or a small bundle of fresh herbs. Each provided just a little bit of food, but all together, it made a magically delicious soup and all were fed and quite satisfied to have contributed what they could.
And there was plenty of delicious Stone Soup for all.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
What a fabulous idea. Teaches kids to share, feeds them, and shows a “never give up, never surrender” creative teamwork approach to a problem.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
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December 4th, 2009 at 9:39 am
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December 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Nice article about this in the WHT yesterday. When I went to the craft fair in Waimea yesterday, the sign out front said “Stone Soup Friday”. Seeing it on the school sign had an impact on me that even all the articles.
Here is a great quote from WHT Dec 5:
//WHT//
Darnee Brighter, 13, will definitely remember her morning of chopping onions, a job for which she gladly volunteered.”I thought there were only three,” she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, again. “But there’s a whole bag.”//