From the Desk of the Head of School- October 1, 2021

Dear Harding Academy Learning Community,

You may have seen the recent pushpage saving the date for our Fall Festival on Saturday, October 23, 2021 at Kever Park from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. This is an exciting opportunity to bring back a Harding Academy event after not being able to offer it this past year. Over the years this community event has evolved from a picnic to a jamboree to the festival it is today, but it has always been about bringing us together. It includes a lot of incredible games, entertainment and food, including (but not limited to) visiting me at the dunk tank and enjoying my weak heckling followed by some strong shivering….

What I am most excited about as it relates to the Fall Festival, however, is not only the opportunity to engage our own Harding Academy community, but to open up this merrymaking to our neighbors and friends. All are welcome to come to this event, and I encourage you to bring family and friends who may not be affiliated with our school. As a learning community that embraces each other, the Fall Festival offers a chance to share what we hold most dear with the larger community: the warmth, caring, and fun that convinced us this is the place for our children. 

Additionally, we will bring back the Harding Academy Book Fair in conjunction with the Fall Festival. As our Librarian Lisa Montgomery said to me recently:

The Harding Academy Book Fair is a tradition that began the first year Harding Academy opened its doors and has continued for these fifty years. It is different from many other school book fairs because the books that are purchased and put directly on the library shelves can be dedicated to honor someone special. Students truly enjoy seeing the dedication bookplates with Harding community names whenever they check out a book. In this way, many of our library books reflect our school's history, and they symbolize the support our wonderful community has given the McPherson-Medwedeff Library for decades.

So please save the date and get your throwing arms in shape and I will see you all at the 2021 Fall Festival and Harding Academy Book Fair on October 23.