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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Archery, fishing, and campfire cooking aren’t traditionally a part of public school curriculum, but every year, Wheelock Elementary third graders take to Rocky Woods in Pilgrim garb to experience life in the 1600s.
The longstanding tradition is one that most Wheelock students fondly recall throughout their entire Medfield Public School education. Over the years, though, the annual trip to Rocky Woods has been passed on to new Pilgrim parents.
A miniature Pilgrim patiently waits for a tug on her line at the Wheelock School’s annual trip to Rocky Woods.
A miniature Pilgrim patiently waits for a tug on her line at the Wheelock School’s annual trip to Rocky Woods.
Rachel Lynn, one of Wheelock’s third grade teachers, admires the Dutch oven baked cornbread with the Girl Scout Leaders.
Dressed in their Pilgrim outfits, Wheelock third graders play team-building games with seventh grade Girl Scouts.
P.E. and Health teacher, Mike Slason, estimates the size a fish that one of the morning’s groups caught as third graders prepare to fish at the lake in Rocky Woods.
“They’ve been doing this for years, and even some of the teachers did it as Medfield students,” said Karen Vazquez, who assumed as the event coordinator this year. “I’ve been through this twice as a parent, as an archery supervisor and a group leader, so I’ve put in a lot of time getting everything together.”
With four of Wheelock’s eight third grade classes at Rocky Woods, the students spent the morning enjoying the brisk, sunny weather and working with the seventh and eighth grade Girl Scouts to make an afternoon feast.
“Somehow, no one seems to remember how the Girl Scouts got involved, but we take care of building the fires and fire safety,” said Sara Drumm, the Girl Scout Leader. “So what happens is that you have Girl Scouts parent volunteers and the girls do trainings with the parents and learn how to build a fire … then they teach the third graders fire safety.”
Sharing their knowledge with the Wheelock students were seventh graders Maeve and Neva, who helped the third graders recognize proper fire safety and collect wood as their dinners cooked over the fires.
One of the third grade teachers, Rachel Lynn, returned to Rocky Woods this year with two decades of Pilgrim experience. “I’ve been a third grade teacher for about 20 years here, and I was a student here, so I’ve been doing this for a while,” said Lynn.
But it seems that the tradition has evolved into a greater experience for today’s students than in its earlier years.
“When I was a kid here, we sat all at a picnic table and we had paper hats and paper collars,” Lynn continued. “I think we wove a placemat and we ate a corn muffin. At least that’s what I remember about it. But it’s fun; it’s a great experience.”
Luckily, the tradition has now expanded to include baking corn bread in a Dutch oven, roasting chicken above the flames of the fire, and boiling a hearty stew.
“We learn all about Pilgrims and the Wampanoags, too, and when they come here, they have this great knowledge of all the hardships and everything the Pilgrims went through,” continued Lynn, as she supervised the campfire.
“So this is kind of like the culminating experience. They really get a good perspective.”
