Light the Way for Education - October 20, 2007

On a beautiful fall day, complete with a rainbow in the background, a celebration took place on the Guilford Green to honor all educators. Light the Way for Education was held on October 20th as a "friend raiser" designed to bring all members of the Community together to recognize the amazing work of all of those individuals that have an impact on education. The event began with thousands of pieces of student art work positioned in merchants shop windows, the churches and fences surrounding the Green as well as in two large tents on the Green itself. Creating an entrance way to the activities was 38 banners created by students from the High School. The banners represented a collaborative effort which required students to select a theme that reflected their thoughts on education create the design for that message and pull their talents together to put that message on paper.

The result was a stunning array of colorful and some wonderful thoughts about education. Throughout the day, there were solos, small groups and several bands comprised of talented musical students from 5th grade through alumni. Several hundred folks spent the day enjoying the music and art from the students of Guilford. The afternoon continued with performances from the high school sports band, the jazz band and Voices. In addition, elementary students sang for the audience. The final musical performance was provided by Dave Alpert singing along with his band, a song written just for the event, entitled "Together We Can". As the encore concluded, dusk began to come upon the Green. The sight that followed was almost indescribable. Over 900 Luminaria bags, purchased by folks in honor of their favorite educator, lit the paths along the Green. It was truly an event not to have been missed.