Martinmas Lantern Walk

This year, we invite all of our students with their families to participate in the Lantern Walk. The walk takes about 15 minutes and will held on our campus and city block. Families are asked to arrive at the front driveway of the school within the window of time your child’s class pod is assigned (please see below). If you have more than one child, please choose the window of time that works best for your family.  Masks must be worn, and we ask that your family remains together during the entire walk in order to maintain social distancing with other families.

The Lantern Walk is intended to be a reverent, peaceful, magical experience. In keeping with this intent, please leave your cell phones in the car, speak in hushed voices when you arrive, and refrain from talking during the walk. To preserve the beauty of the experience, please walk silently to your car when you have finished your walk.  Thank you, in advance, for helping make this a magical night for your child and our community.

Lantern Walk Route 

Please walk with your lanterns to the front driveway of the school. You will begin your walk down the driveway, through the front play yards, exit through the Yellow House driveway, walk around the block of the school, and enter the campus again through the Mulberry play yard, continuing to follow the luminarias until you exit campus onto Coral Street. There will be music and volunteers who will help guide you.

Lantern Walk Times 

Please arrive within these 20 minute windows of time. If you have more than one child, please choose one pod’s time.

• 4:00–4:20 pm: Little Friends

• 4:20–4:40 pm: Morning Garden

• 4:40–5:00 pm: Nursery

• 5:30–5:50 pm: Kindergarten

• 5:50–6:10 pm: Grades 1–2

• 6:10–6:30 pm: Grades 3–5

• 6:30–6:50 pm: Grades 6–8

About the Lantern Walk 

It takes an act of courage to step out into the darkness on a November night. Faith of heart is needed to hold all of what life and nature gave us during the warm relaxed summer months in our soul like a small burning flame as we head deeper into the autumn. This is the symbolism of the Lantern Walk — each of our families setting out into the darkness to walk with our little lights while the wind sighs and the leaves rustle underfoot. Then, as the path turns we see that each little light forms part of a river of light that weaves through the night — joining together and helping us along. We find that once we have stepped out into the night we find our community in a different spirit from the rush of everyday events as a mood of reverence, awe, and wonder surrounds us.

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Each year the students in Early Childhood through Third Grade celebrate Martinmas with a traditional lantern walk. The students make their own lanterns in the classroom, which stand as symbols for their individual light. Typically a walk outside with lit lanterns as the sun goes down sets the scene for preparing ourselves for the approaching darkness of winter.