Friday, April 27, 2018 was Sandhills Farm Life
School Heritage Day, and a grand day it was.
Activities included self-guided campus tours for classes
and live instructional demonstrations with cows,
chickens, and strawberry growing. Some students
built models of our school at different points in its
history. Others hiked to McLeod's Table Farm to see
a natural spring and learn about the Native Americans
who once lived here. Some classes would interview
pre-1964 alumni of Farm Life High School to help create
an oral history, and eventually a video for our
library archives. The whole event was conceived
and coordinated by Mrs. Kim Hilliard, and many
thanks go to her for this worthwhile endeavor.
I was delighted to provide nature trail hikes for all
second graders and my blog will focus on them.
When I arrived at school students were gathering to
see a milking demonstration.
Since my daddy grew up on a dairy he advised me
not to get roped into that sort of thing, so I moved on
toward the Nature Trail.
I'll leave the chickens to someone else, too.
Ah, the Nature Trail was primed and ready for
eager second graders.
The balloon and an informational clipboard were
part of the self-guided tour for all grades.
The clipboard gave a brief history of our trail since 1985.
The most notable recent addition is the boardwalk
for erosion control created by Andy Paris and his
Boy Scout troop.
This is what the boardwalk looked like just
after construction.
I was thrilled to be able to feature some plants that
even I wasn't prepared for. We believe this dainty one
is Bog White Violet, also known as Lance Leaf Violet.
It grows at streamside just across from Big Rock.
I had never seen a specimen of Solomon's Seal on
the north side of the stream until this day.
The tiny flowers are sheltered on the underside and
should open in the next few days.
Here's an excellent specimen of Cinnamon Fern and
students spotted many more off the trail.
Coral Honeysuckle is another plant rarely observed
on the trail.
Lovely Pinkster Flower or Wild Azalea is a shrub
that adorns our stream area.
Green and Gold is the name of this pretty wildflower.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit, which is cropping up all over
the trail, was a 2nd grade favorite.
One of our main stops was at Old Man Poplar.
this closeup shows how the poplar tree (at bottom
of photo) has been sliding down and rubbing the
bark off of a sweetgum tree over the last several years.
This view from underneath shows the bumpy character
of Old Man Poplar. I asked students if he were dead or
alive. Some thought he was dead because he was leaning
so precariously, but others saw the new green leaves that
confirmed he was alive.
As students left Old Man Poplar I asked them to
imagine what year he might fall, or if he could
reach the ground and still be living.
Every class got the opportunity to try to elevate
the Old Man, even if only half an inch.
We're not sure if our efforts paid off, but students
get an A + for effort!
Students loved getting acquainted with Big Rock.
They only wished they could climb on him.
Mrs. Dumas had a snake story to match any of mine.
She told me and her class how once she was taking
a before-school stroll on the trail and a small black
rat snake dropped right onto her and down to the ground.
We're heading from Big Rock to Jack, Will, and Tom.
Every student got to back up to this three-in-one
marvel and see an incredible view upward.
Students patiently wait their turn for a view. I was
so pleased that friends of nearly four decades, Jody
and Paula Hall, joined us on this walk.
Both of these friends wanted to be "last," so
this is how we handled it.
By the way, here is the iconic view these children
are seeing. If you haven't witnessed it in person,
it's worth the trip!
This is our very own "Wishing Well." I had students
imagine they were tossing in a lucky penny and making
a wish as they went by. The very last class to take the
tour actually tossed in sweetgum stickerballs.
Why don't YOU make a plan to visit our trail
and make a wish?
I couldn't get group pictures of all six classes, but these
bright, imaginative, and eager learners are representative
of the 120 that joined me on the trail this day.
SFL School Heritage Day was a red-letter day for me.
Our school has a long and proud history, and each year adds
more to its storied legacy. I'm glad the SFL Nature Trail
is and will continue to be part of that history.
