Rivendell School is thrilled to announce that our first official mascot is an elf named Willow! But even more exciting is the productive journey that led our students to this decision.
During the month of October, students were diving deep into learning about the thematic unit of Democracy. At that time, it became an obvious choice for us to hold a school-wide election. The Older Kids would run campaigns for two candidates, or elves, running to become our school mascot. They came up with character traits, values, and goals for the candidates, even writing speeches to present to the school! The other students had to evaluate who would be the best “leader” to represent our school for years to come. They held debates, weighing the pros and cons, and completed projects to prepare for the school election. Students advocated for their favored elf by creating slogans and signs, which were hung up around the school.
Before we knew it, Election Day was here! On November 3rd, students had finished registering to vote and officially turned in their ballots. We made the announcement of Willow’s win (incredibly, by just four votes!) which opened the doors to another learning experience about majority ruling and what occurs following elections. Students who did not vote for Willow were happy to hear that the other elf candidate, Hawthorn, had gone on to pursue other leadership positions and philanthropic opportunities, never giving up their dreams.
Madeline Cook, Admissions Specialist
