This month, our students and staff are participating in a number of cooperative activities, as we enjoy the season.  Each class has decorated their classroom door with spirit and humour.  We know that not all families celebrate Christmas, but the tradition of bringing the year to a close with joy and community is contagious.  John McNight, a professor of education and social policy at North Western University, published and article in 1992 in the Utne Reader, in which he describes 5 indicators of community:  Capacity, Collective Effort, Informailty, Stories, and Celebration.  At our school, we can measure community by looking at our work through each of these lenses, and by asking questions:  How are we improving our own and our students' capacities and competencies?  What stories to we tell about our students, ourselves, both formally and infomally?  How do we feel when we work together?  How and when do we celebrate successes and occasions together?

These photographs answer many of those questions.