Memories of the Creek
This week, we wanted to share some memories and thoughts on the creek that come from some of our alums and their families. Enjoy!
From Ted Boughter-Dornfeld (Class of 1998, Current Miquon School 1/2 Assistant Teacher, Current Miquon Day Camp Lifeguard)
What does the Miquon Creek mean to me? As I sit here typing this, I try on a few different hats in effort to give myself some perspective. I’ve been a student, a camper, a neighbor and a teacher at the Miquon School. What the creek used to be for me (and friends) is no longer a reality for me. Once, the Miquon creek was an endless source of entertainment, and a window into the natural world. As a younger child it helped me to understand the true balance of ecology, and appreciate different forms of life and their relationships to one another.
While the days of searching and splashing are mostly gone, many of the memories are not. Watching students this past year race cheerios in the creek the same way we did during my childhood reminds that while things change, some things stay the same. History is often very cyclical, and being around to watch some of these cycles return has been magical. Also, I am reminded how looking all the way up the creek through a leafless winter morning taught me to observe the seasons; by springtime in the same spot, you can barely see ten yards up the creek because of all the foliage and life springing up from its banks.
It has been amazing to watch the evolution of the creek’s waters and receding banks, and how this little creek has changed, but also stayed the same. I cannot help but marvel that the natural balance of life, and the gentle trickle of the creek’s waters flowing still gives children the same tranquility and pleasure that it did for students over two decades ago.
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From Lila Bricklin (Class of 1968)
I swung over the creek via a rope from a tree near the office. I sat over the creek on the bridge over the creek by the office. I walked and played in the creek everyday. I wrote poems about the creek. I found slugs in the creek. I built damns in the creek. I brought mud from the creek home with me all the time. I was the creek!
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From Marianne Herzog (Parent of Alumni from the classes of 2005 and 2011)
At her younger daughter’s graduation, Marianne shared an image from her first visit to Miquon:
On that same morning … I saw a little girl — in a dress and party shoes – squatting on a rock in the creek, immersed in poking around in the water with a stick. What a wonder-filled way to start a day! And we know — from research, but also intuitively, I think — that play, being in nature, moving around physically — is so important to learning, as well as to social, emotional, and physical growth, not to mention feeding our very hearts and souls. Throughout their day, they have the opportunity to be in nature and engaged in unstructured play, and these allow the brain, body, and soul to rest and digest information that children have gained from study, social interactions, and problem-solving, as well as to—perhaps—contemplate their own feelings and behavior in these situations.
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Do you have memories of the creek to share? Send us a note, a photo, or a 1-2 minute video. We’ll try to post as many as we can throughout the summer. Email your memories to development@miquon.org.
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Want to make a contribution to the For the Good of the Creek Campaign? Click on the Give link to the left and write “Creek” in the comments box.
