Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Susie Pickering

Oak Lane Day School

137 Stenton Ave, Blue Bell, PA 19422

Phone: 610-825-1055

Fax: 610-825-9288

Email: spickering@oaklanedayschool.org

An Oak Lane Tradition: The Woodland Walk

The Woodland Walk, a popular Oak Lane Day School autumn tradition, was held recently to great success. Current families and faculty of the school as well as alumni, summer camp families, and friends gathered on a perfect fall evening to walk in the woods, learn square dancing, and enjoy good food, good company, and a magnificent bonfire.

Sponsored by the Oak Lane Parent Association, the Woodland Walk is a yearly event for which the Oak Lane campus is especially suited. School members and friends stopped by the Barn where cheerful fiddler's music was playing and dancers assembled in the middle of the large space to follow the square dance caller's instructions. A guest could have a snack of taffy apples and hot apple cider before venturing out for a guided tour through the Oak Lane woods.

Bundled up warmly with flashlights in hand, woodland adventurers followed their fifth and sixth grade and alumni guides on a winding path where they found various denizens of the woods. Parents and friends cleverly dressed up in costumes played the parts of the fox, the old Oak tree for which the school is named, the much-maligned small brown bat, caterpillars, a tick, poison ivy, and a very persuasive spider who invited one and all into his web motel. Of the spider, one visitor remarked, “He was so great, so spooky. My kids were mesmerized!” Each woodland creature greeted passers-by and told a little about what they liked to eat, where they sleep, and why the Oak Lane campus is such a good home for them.

At the end of the tour, Oak Lane families and friends were treated to the wonderful spectacle of a towering bonfire built on the extensive lawn behind the campus' old Mansion. All were toasty warm as the fire flung festive sparks into the clear night sky. Oak Lane staff and faculty members entertained the crowd as they sang favorites such as “Puff the Magic Dragon”, “Country Roads”, and “This Land Is Your Land” with accompaniment on guitar.

Oak Lane Day School Information

An independent elementary school, founded in 1916 and located in Blue Bell, Oak Lane Day School serves a diverse population of boys and girls. Oak Lane honors each child's unique individuality while fostering intellectual, creative, academic, and personal growth within a diverse community of active, engaged learners. Small class sizes and an atmosphere that encourages children to develop their academic and social skills are priorities at Oak Lane, where learning is a meaningful and joyous pursuit. Oak Lane's country-like property of 30 acres along Butler Pike and Stenton Avenue boasts a stream, pond, woods, meadows, and specimen trees as well as athletic fields and playgrounds.

Oak Lane Day School is accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS).