Photos from 2009 Maypole Festival

Once again this year, the rain clouds loomed overhead all morning prior to the start of the Maypole Festival. And once again, our principal, made the final determination that we would all sing and dance and celebrate outside in the fresh air.

Even our fifth grade teacher, Will Humke, participated in his class's North Skelton Sword Dance.

BCSIS Spring Festival
Friday May 1, 2009
(rain or shine)

Please come and join us for a fun-filled day of flowers, song, and dance to celebrate the season of Spring!

Schedule of the day:
8:30 am – Flower crown making in the classrooms
*Parents are encouraged to stay and help with the crown making.
*Please bring a bouquet of fresh flowers to share.

9:30am – School Festival
*We will gather on the grass in front of the first grade classrooms to sing
Spring songs and watch the Maypole dance. Each grade will also perform
a folk dance. Children will sit with their class on the grass and parents
stand behind.

10:30am – 1:30pm – Games, Ice Cream, May Basket delivery, more…

We would love to have parents stay in the morning to help make flower crowns and watch the festival. Please remember to bring or send fresh flowers and have children wear comfortable shoes for dancing and games.

Thoughts from 5th Grade Parents...

"I love this festival. To me it is expressing the joy and creativity of our school and celebrating the end of another year together, a promising beginning of summer, and the aliveness of spring. This will be my son's last year and he is SO proud to be doing the sword dance, that he has watched every year, AND to be a group leader in the dance where he will guide the group and hold the star. I get weepy when I hear how proud he is about this. Also this year my kindergartener will be giving my 5th grade a goodbye rose, sending him on to new horizons. These festivals have all been moving place and time markers for me, reminding me to stop and savor these precious times. The may festival is yet another expression of what makes our school special and memorable for parents and kids." - BCSIS 5th Grade Parent


"Seeing the 5th grade boys wearing the beautiful flower crowns they made themselves and doing the sword-dance touches me deeply - I see them as being so strong in themselves and therefore they don't have the need to hide their tender, sweet side."-- BCSIS 5th Grade Parent

Images from 2007 May Pole Festival

Here's a branch of snowy May!

A branch the Fairies gave me!

Who would like to dance today?

With the branch the fairies gave me?

Dance away dance away
Holding high the branch of May!
Dance away dance away
Holding high the branch of May!

Fairy Branch Song

Fairy Branch

Here's a branch of snowy May!
A branch the Fairies gave me!
Who would like to dance today
With the branch the fairies gave me?
Dance away dance away
Holding high the branch of May!
Dance away dance away
Holding high the branch of May!

Dances Performed by the different grades:

Grade 1 - La Raspa (Mexican Shuffle) -- origin: Mexico
Grade 2- Fjaskern (Hurry Scurry)-- origin: Sweden
Grade 3 - Yankee Doodle--origin: U.S.A
Grade 4- Troika -- origin: Russia
Grade 5 - North Skelton Sword Dance - origin: England
Jazz Mountain, Grades 3-5: Peopleton Stick Dance- origin: England