Quincy Bog Walk

A beautiful spring-like afternoon lured over 25 members of the MVCS community to our beautiful neighborhood Quincy Bog! We may not have seen too many animals with our rowdy crew, but we did enjoy a gorgeous view from the Ledge Trail overlook and even saw pair of geese land on the still-icy bog. Steve, our bog host, graciously invited us into the nature center to explore the animal and plant collections. My favorite? A collection of tiny rubber animal feet that you can match to their tracks! If you have never been to the Quincy Bog, it is a truly magical place. 26 more hours earned!

Slim Baker Winter Hike to Inspiration Point

Seventeen MVCS students, parents, siblings, and friends met up over break and hiked up to Inspiration Point on the Slim Baker Conservation Land. In the past, the Slim Baker Foundation has generously provided MVCS with over 100 ice lanterns to help light the winter solstice path through Fort Creek. This was a first time trip for many of our families to this beautiful local resource and we had a great time running, climbing, and sliding our way up and down from the point. We added another 25.5 hours with this quick local jaunt!

NLRA Polar Plunge and Winterfest

Twenty degree temps with 20 mph winds blowing across the lake made for a spectacular Polar Plunge at the Newfound Lake Inn Winterfest! The icy plunge benefited the Newfound Lakes Region Association. MVCS parents Audrey West, David Goldstein, and John Christ all raised funds for the NLRA, cheered on by other MVCS families. The NLRA has been a frequent supporter of MVCS, providing raffle donations for the annual Regatta and hosting us for a tour of the Hebron Town Forest as part of 1000 H.O.T. We are thrilled we had a chance to reciprocate AND add another 20 hours to our count! Kudos to the plungers and all those that braved the frigid temps to watch the spectacle!

SLA Winterfest

We earned 58 more hours towards our 1000 hours goal at the SLA Winterfest. We got the best of all the winter weathers- from blue skis and sun to raging snow squalls! MVCS friends sled, skated, and s’mored their way through the afternoon, with a few games of snow mini golf thrown in for good measure. And we had so much fun, we thought we’d hit another winterfest the following weekend- the Newfound Lakes Region Association Winterfest in Bristol. Hope to see you all there!

Solstice

MVCS Staff welcomed MVCS families at the Hummingbird Center in Dorchester for the annual Solstice celebration. Dawn Grant, Saplings Lead Teacher, led the community in songs celebrating the return of the sun on the longest night of the year. Lighted paths led to a spectacular bonfire where friends played and families shared a chilly evening basking in the warm light of the fire and sipping wassail- Magic. PLUS 100 Hours Outside Together- the last of 2023!

Plymouth Holiday Parade

MVCS families came out in record numbers for the annual Plymouth Holiday Parade- students, staff, siblings, parents, and relatives joined us to carry our lights through Plymouth as ambassadors of our amazing school. Families decorated lanterns with their “favorite things about the outdoors” and shared their love with the community. Many families visited the MVCS tree featured at the PSU Festival of Trees prior to the parade to admire students’ beautiful ornaments.

We earned 105 hours with this event!

MVCS Halloween Fest 2023

There is something about Fort Creek at this time of year that makes it the perfect venue for our annual Fall celebration. Exactly 100 students and family members turned out for this year’s Halloween Fest, earning another 200 HOURS outside together! Lower El Classroom Leaders Jess Mansur, Kalli Rosebush, Stephanie Parrott, and Jen Foley orchestrated a spectacular Fort Creek Halloween, complete with a Monster Eyeball Toss, pumpkin bowling, giant spiders, scarecrow making and more! Many thanks to everyone who volunteered to make this another great event for our village!

NLRA Hebron Town Forest Hiking Tour

A huge thank you to Newfound Lakes Region Association’s Mirka Zapletal, who spent her Sunday morning giving us a tour of the Cockermouth Ledge Loop Trail in the Hebron Town Forest! MVCS families learned about fall-blooming Witch Hazel, Beech tree bark disease, and the symbiotic relationship between lichen and algae, all while hiking up and around the forest for a view of Newfound Lake. A great way to earn 50 hours outside together!

Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

What an amazing place! Over 60 years of forest and environmental research happening right in our backyard is a pretty cool thing and getting a tour with White Mountain Forest Tech Amey Bailey was a close second. It is SO rare to have a long-term study that looks at forest growth and so important because it shows us how human land use and climate changes affect the forest- its creatures, water, trees- the entire ecological system- over decades, and eventually, centuries. People tend to think of time in the short term- 5, 10, even 20 years can seem like a long time. A twenty year old forest, however, is still well in its infancy; most forests don’t reach “old growth” status for over 100 years.

Amey showed us around the forest and talked to us about the variety of ecological research projects that are happening at the forest. From nighttime insect studies to leaf phenology to stream acidity to climate change, this place is truly an experimental forest.


Back to School Potluck 1000 Hours Kick Off Event

Over 100 MVCS family and staff members turned out for our annual Back to School Potluck and our FIRST 1000 Hours Outside Together event! It was a beautiful evening, where old friends reconnected after the summer season and welcomed new families to our community, amidst the wooded “playground” of the Lower Elementary campus. Family Committee unveiled its MVCS tree logo “thermometer” that will tally our hours throughout the year (photo coming soon!). We hope to display it at the bottom of the Lower Elementary driveway, as a reminder to all of us to get outside! All told, we garnered 160 hours toward our 1000 hours goal- only 840 left to go!