I always enjoy the auction. I served on the auction committee for years at a previous school, and was always amazed at the camaraderie on the planning committee and the amount of fun we had putting it together. That's not to say that it wasn't a LOT of work, and at times involved some frustration. But the outcome of the actual day always made it worth it.
A few years ago, the celebration part of the title was added. The point of this (if I recall correctly) was to celebrate the school as well as the community. The development team had a table and there was space to highlight what was going on at the school. Part of this was an opportunity to display student work.
Yesterday, part of my responsibilities included taking down the displays of student work at the end of the day. I was struck, once again, at how amazing the staff are at what they do in the classroom. Each classroom from K-5 had provided some work to be displayed. All of it was amazing and demonstrated how the students at Unity really do learn and live in Christ.
Kindergarten provided Picasso inspired artwork - have you ever seen 24 Kindergarten students' replications of a Picasso painting?! It was wonderful to see how each of the students, while following directions from the teacher, was still able to come up with a unique piece of artwork!
Grade One provided a combination of written and art work. The Grade One students are studying trees and how they change through the seasons. Each of the students was given a frame for a poem in which they filled in the blanks. Then, they painted a picture to go with their poems. The poems were fantastic! And again, even though they were provided the same framework, each one demonstrated the uniqueness of each child. Their projects were delightful.
Grade Two students shared what freedom is like. This was a project done in conjunction with Remembrance Day. Students shared their thoughts on freedom in writing and they were added to a larger page with some artwork as well. Reading what a 7 year old thinks about freedom is a pretty humbling thing.
Grade Three has been studying about colour in Art. The project they shared was of exploration with primary colours. Each student, given the same materials, put together a paper quilt of primary colour squares. When placed side by side and row by row, this provided a great quilt of red, blue and yellow.
Grade 4 students had reflected on a Bible lesson about Paul and his imprisonment. They were learning about Paul's attitude and ability, amidst difficult times, to rejoice, find joy and even advance the Gospel. Students had made posters outlining some ways in which they could rejoice and find joy at all times as well, highlighting Philippians 4:4-7 - Rejoice in the Lord, always...
Grade 5 students have been studying about the human body and exploring what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made. Each student had researched a part of the body and presented it on a poster. The things that these children were able to learn and discover about their bodies, and their Creator, were fascinating! And they were all so proud of the work that they did!
Through all of these learning experiences, teachers have provided opportunities for students to discover and uncover more and more of who God is and how this world has been created. From the beauty of artwork and the expression of the human condition that goes with that, to the power of the written word and all that we can communicate with and through that medium, to the discovery of the world in which we live and the intricacies of creation...all of these things point to an amazing Creator and the gifts that he has given us with which to enjoy that creation. Within (and outside of!) the walls at Unity Christian, students are exploring creation, discovering the Creator and developing their gifts in ways that allow them to figure out their place in this world. In short, they are learning and living in Christ.
Who knew a few years ago, when that tagline was created and then adopted by Unity, that it would become such a key phrase when it comes to talking about why we do what we do?!
