Music, Celebration, and Thanksgiving

On Wednesday, November 21st, the whole school gathered as one for our Thanksgiving Celebration. This day is filled with many traditions-old and new. We celebrate the Story of The Four Elements – Fire, Water, Earth, Air. Representatives from each class share with the children are thankful for. And each class bakes bread and then brings their bread to the celebration to be shared with the rest of the community.

This year, the students have been preparing for this heartwarming event by learning to sing: One by One composed by our beloved songwriter, John Farrell. John Farrell is an internationally acclaimed songwriter, author, and peace educator.  John Farrell is also the founder of “Bridges of Peace and Hope,” an international, non-profit organization of teachers and students dedicated to promoting education and understanding through collaborative, creative arts exchanges and service learning projects.

You could hear this song almost everywhere you went in the school: in classrooms, the after school room and even outside. Lower Elementary students loved it so much, that they learned the sign language for the song and performed it during the celebration. Another big PLUS to this event was that two of our Middle School students, Anselm and Rania joined me in accompanying the song on the guitar.

It was indeed, a blessing to share! “One by one, we count our blessings…”.

One by One by John Farrell

Thank you for the sun that shines
Thank you for the stars above
Thank you for the rain that falls
And thank you for your love

One by one we count our blessings
As we come to share this bread
Let us gather round the table
May our hearts always be thankful
For each gift that we receive
One by one we count our blessings
With our friends and family

Thank you for the air we breathe
Thank you for the food we eat
Thank you for our families
And thank you for your love