Fall means that Indigenous Peoples Day, Cranberry Day, and Thanksgiving are approaching. This makes a new learning opportunity for teachers being offered by the Aquinnah Cultural Center particularly relevant. Offered twice this fall, this workshop equips educators with essential strategies for working with indigenous content and building meaningful relationships with native students and communities. Educators can gain practical insights into how indigenous knowledge and practices can be integrated in the classroom. Led by Aquinnah Wampanoag educator Brad Lopes, it is free for Island educators, with a request for a $75 donation from non-Island educators.
Workshops will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and repeated on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Aquinnah Town Hall. To register, visit aquinnah.org/events/teacher-best-practices.
Meanwhile, Gabbi Camilleri has announced a call for participants to register for the sixth annual Aquinnah Artisans Holiday Fair, to be held Dec. 7 and 8. If you are interested in reserving a table to sell your products, or to raise funds for your nonprofit, contact Gabbi to request a registration form at aquinnahartisans@gmail.com. Table fees are $35 per day.
Last week the principal of West Tisbury School called the parents of our granddaughter, Tillie Taylor. The principal called to share how the school had noticed how kind, empathetic, and responsive Tillie is when other students show any need for help. Our bouncy, sassy, bright girl has always had that in her center, and it was so pleasing to see the world taking notice. Tillie’s birthday is Oct. 17. If you see her, give her a cheer.
Other birthdays this week include Caleb Daniel Nicholson Jr. and Forrest Alley, who share Oct. 15. On Oct. 16 we have another thing to celebrate when Shawn MacPhail and Alex Taylor celebrate their anniversary.
On the Vineyard, there is a gentleness to this fall. On most days, the wind is taking a rest, the leaves are quietly exhaling and slowly changing color, and the sun is giving us a few hours of warmth every day. There is a sense of calm as lines of cars are replaced by leaves dancing across our roads, the harvests are mostly done, and cuddling up with a good book seems like a great idea on cooler nights. As the election approaches, and battles take place around the world, I am grateful for this ounce of peace here in this place at this moment.
If you have any Aquinnah Town Column suggestions, email Kathie Olson, aquinnahcolumn@gmail.com.