Kids Helping Kids - Day 4

Coach M & Mrs. K allowed the troops to sleep in this morning. They wouldn't have wanted the calories from the cinnamon buns anyway:) The daily work detail found us once again armed with paintbrushes and 90 minutes on the clock to complete the job. Somehow managing to get more paint on the walls than themselves, the crew made quick work out of things and marched off to Ann Hadley's 4/5th grade classes for the 3rd consecutive day.

Mrs. Hadley, is a soft-spoken energetic veteran of Kurn Hattin of over 30 years. She has been our 'host' instructor during these past 2 project week visits. Today "The Mouse and The Motorcycle" was on tap for her classes. The KH students paired off with their NHS counterparts to read Chapter 11 and added written reflections to their folders.

Our students helped them with reading comprehension, vocabulary, and helping the children read aloud with the proper expression pertinent to the text. At the end of the period, we said our goodbyes to the children amidst the promise to write as pen-pals as we did last year.  Lunch featured a wicked awesome spinach, feta, & bacon salad that was, really good!

One of the many things we learned about Kurn Hattin is that it is truly a family institution. Many of the employees are related, from teachers, cottage parents, the maintenance crew, the secretarial staff, and the even the kitchen crew. At least 5 current instructors have 30+ years serving the institution that is over 100 years old.

The highlight of our week may have been todays 12:50 pm Gym Class headed up by Donna Fahner, the widow of the beloved Tom Fahner, Kurn Hattin's Principal who passed away this past December.
Donna was so pleased to have the New Hampton students return and again so positively impact the KH community. The Floor Hockey game went off without a hitch and a good time was had by all.

While Seamus Tully and Bianca Maheia were battling over the puck, Jake Murray and Matt "Google Me" Beckoff attended a music class headed by Kurn Hattin's own Lisa Bianconi, who in 2014 was a Grammy Award Finalist. The academic day concluded with a trip to a 6th grade science class where the students collaborated on construction of rain forest trees with paper bags and green tissue paper.

"Down Time" was a misnomer as nearly everyone was active after classes with SAT Prep, intramural volleyball, or personal fitness. Our planned evening of dinner & bowling got off to a great start after the drive to Brattleboro landed us at Ramunto's Italian eatery. Alas, since Thursday is a league night, and a fire caused by one of the mid-lane ball returns left us on the outside looking in.

The gang retired to our Cottage for the nightly battles of ping-pong, cards, pool, and enjoying their last night on campus.