The Wolfe School Museum was proud to host the graduation of the 2017 Apple Valley program of the Sutton Schools 4th grade class on October 31, 2017.
The Fourth Graders visit the Wolfe School early in the school year when they are assigned to pioneer families with three to five children in a family. For the next six weeks the class role plays the lives of rural students in the year 1900. Students assume new names and identities for their Apple Valley School.
The students earn points toward graduation from Apple Valley and return to Wolfe School at Halloween for their graduation, in appropriate period pioneer dress, which will also serve as Halloween costumes later in the day.
The Apple Valley program concludes with the presentation of a graduation certificate, in the name of the student's character.
(In a conversation overheard at graduation, several students were promising to continue to use their Apple Valley names and were speculating about keeping it up into the fifth grade. Wonder if we can follow their plans and efforts.)
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| "Robert Jefferson" was one of the three Jefferson children in this year's Apple Valley class. |
One of the graduation activities is the to make homemade ice cream. One thing the Sutton Historical Society was unable to do this year was to control the weather as 2017 had the coldest October 31st in years. We moved the ice cream venue to the front steps of the Historic House where warmth was just a few steps away.
In past years, graduation included rural school games in the school yard. It was a bit cold for that this year so inside games were on the agenda.
This "Strike a Pose" game was not something this veteran of rural school recalls. It was a success.
Hosting the opening and closing activities of Apple Valley is one of the highlights of the year for the Sutton Historical Society and is absolutely the Number One activity for the Wolfe School Museum.
It is days like this that provide the impetus for, and the satisfaction of having a community museum.
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