High School Honor Band Performs Preschoolers’ Song About Lucky the Hawk

Enjoy this short story about Lucky, Oak Grove’s resident hawk, along with a song performed by preschool and high school students together.

Lucky the hawk is incredibly bold and fearless around humans, often joining outdoor classes perched in a tree or on a swing, calmly observing activity on campus and sometimes she is seen catching and devouring prey.

Lucky’s presence and behavior offer many learning opportunities as part of our emergent curriculum. This year, preschool students, along with teachers, wrote a song about Lucky. The song evolved and culminated in an end-of-year performance by the high school honor band, who learned the Lucky song, and added their own twist.

As Head of School Jodi Grass commented after the performance, “That is one of the great pleasures of having a school that goes from preschool through high school.”

More about Red-tailed Hawks:

No one is quite sure how old Lucky is, but it is said that she has raised a family in the large Oak Trees on campus, and the children named one of her babies “Rocket.” The oldest known wild Red-tailed Hawk was at least 30 years old when it was found in Michigan in 2011, the same state where it had been banded in 1981. Learn more about red tail hawks by visiting All About Birds.

More about the Oak Grove High School Honor Band:

In both Middle and High School, students with experience in music have the opportunity to explore playing in an Honor Band. With the guidance and expertise of music teacher Eric Sullivan, honor band meets after school, twice a week to learn songs. Honor band students have fun rocking out during events on and off campus. Collaborating on songs they choose, honor band provides students with an additional opportunity to expand musically, play different instruments, and be in relationship with peers across grade levels. Learn more about High School at Oak Grove here.

What is Emergent Curriculum?

“Emergent Curriculum” is just what it sounds like. Teachers observe and listen to children for insight into their interests and hypotheses. Projects emerge in the moment as kids make meaningful connections and spark each other’s eager theories. Children writing a song about Lucky is one of many examples of how teachers skillfully support emergent curriculum throughout the year, learning along side students. Click to enjoy another blog post about emergent curriculum in Oak Grove School’s Early Childhood Program.

Recent Blog Posts:

Podcast Interview with Jodi Grass

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In Episode 23 “Education as a Vehicle for Social Change,” Founding Mothers Podcast host Emily Race and Head of School Jodi Grass discuss the freedom that Oak Grove’s teachers have to implement activities that foster personal and social growth, outdoor and travel experiences to prepare youth and parents for the transition to adulthood, how students can support their mental health, and the value of questioning one’s thoughts to develop compassion.
alumni-parent-Winecoff

Alumni Parent Profile: Duncan Winecoff

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Duncan says that what he has learned as a parent is that the school’s environment and philosophy are very important, but it is also vital to have a community where that philosophy is supported outside of the classroom.

Lizard Talk – Dr. Mani Ramaswami

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About once a month, our high school students attend a Lizard Talk, where a guest speaker presents and shares knowledge on their subject of expertise.