The Starfish Story
adapted from "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance through the day. He walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. The writer came closer still and called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man looked up, and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean."
"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

The students and families of LFCDS have a long tradition of making a difference for others. We recognize that many who live just a short distance away, as well as people throughout the world, are struggling. Even our youngest ECC students, who dressed up to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF among the costumed administrators and staff at Halloween, understand the importance of helping others who lack basic needs, such as food, water, medicine, clothing and shelter. We are pleased to report that our LFCDS students raised over $2,000 for UNICEF this year.

The holiday outreach activities you will read about in this issue of Panther Tales, such as the Thanksgiving Food Drive, the Mitten Drive, the Holiday Gift Drive, the Adopt-a-Family program and more, make a difference for those who might otherwise be overwhelmed by what they are unable to do for their families during the holidays. Equally as important is that these activities develop an awareness and sensitivity in our students to the fact that children who live just a short distance away may go to bed hungry, may sleep in a shelter because they have no home and may not be able to enjoy sledding at recess because they have no boots or jackets to keep them warm. It gives our students a chance to at least intellectually "walk in someone else’s shoes."

Learning about and acting upon ways to fulfill the needs of children, both locally and globally, is one way of developing empathy in our students. We are most grateful for your support of these efforts, as it is only in partnership with you that we can make a difference in the lives of your children and in those of children in other locations. Beyond basic needs, your generosity brings hope and joy to many families.

May your holidays be blessed with special memories of time with family and friends and the joy of knowing that you and your children are making a positive difference, one starfish at a time.

‘Tis the season for sharing at Lake Forest Country Day School. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, a special effort is made to teach the lessons of gratitude and sharing through a number of outreach and service programs.

There are several trees set up throughout the School, and students, faculty and staff bring in mittens and scarves to decorate these trees. The warm winter wear is donated to families in need. LFCDS has traditionally filled four large sacks with generous donations.

The School is also involved in an Adopt-a-Family program and a Gift Drive. Families in need from the Waukegan area provided the names and ages of family members, clothing/shoe sizes and three gift choices. LFCDS sponsors provide the requested items, offering a helping hand in make the gift-giving traditions of the holidays a reality in the families' homes. The “Good as New” Gift Drive collects gifts that will be donated to Evanston children who would have received little to nothing this year for Christmas. Some of our students and staff, under the leadership of Nan Caldwell, will deliver the gifts and items from the mitten trees to the families. This gives our students the chance to see the smiling faces of those who receive a gift and warm winter wear.

LFCDS students have also created their own ways to contribute. Eighth grader Michaela Bowler heads up a group that is making baby blankets to be distributed to new mothers at Highland Park Hospital. Upper School students Victoria Etherton and Killian MacDonald challenged their peers to participate in an online quiz site, www.freerice.com, that donates rice to the United Nations World Food Program for questions participants answers correctly. The questions cover a number of subjects such as math, English and geography.

Reaching out is possible for everyone in one way or another. Whether it is time, talent or gifts, we all have something to share. If you would like to be a part of any of these outreach programs or have any questions, please contact Coordinator of Community Service Nan Caldwell at (847) 295-2002 or email her at nan.caldwell@lfcds.org.