A portion of Haskell Harmony Grove High School’s 2017 senior class reconnected with their kindergarten selves last week as they enjoyed some outdoor fall fun and picked pumpkins out of a patch. The 28 seniors missed out on the school’s traditional kindergarten trip 12 years ago because of a tornado that damaged their school, bringing the anticipated field trip to a sudden halt.
Only those seniors who were in kindergarten in the school district 12 years ago took part in the field trip. Kindergarten teacher Pam Henley, who plans to retire this academic year after a 28-year teaching career, has always been bothered that the group of students never got their pumpkin-patch trip, she said.
“I thought, ‘I’m retiring this year, and these kids are graduating. We need to take them on the trip they never had.’”
Henley became teary-eyed, she said, when she pulled up to the school Monday and saw the seniors ready to go — bittersweet tears, as she’s enjoying her last year of teaching and looking forward to retirement.
Current kindergartners also joined the seniors for the trip to the Family Farm Christian Day Camp in Malvern. Parents and grandparents were there as well, cameras in hand to record the various joyous moments. Students participated in all kinds of activities, including a rock wall, a zip line, slides and hayrides.
Senior Devlyn Smith, 17, said he faced his fear of heights by climbing up to the start of the slide and sliding down.
“My 6-year-old self is thanking me right now, and it wouldn’t be complete without picking out my very own pumpkin,” he said.
This trip was a “cool second chance,” said Abby Jo Windsor, 17. “It’s nice to get to be kids again. We have a lot of stress as seniors, and it’s great to have a no-stress day. It’s been the best field trip I’ve ever been on.”
The slide was 17-year-old Jessica Allred’s favorite activity. She was sitting out the zip-line adventure, which takes participants over the spring-fed pond that camp owner Stan May built.
“I’m excited about taking home a handpicked pumpkin,” Allred said. “Finally, after all these years, we got to come to the pumpkin patch together.”
Their original pumpkin-patch trip all those years ago would have taken them to a farm outside of Conway. Henley said they were almost to their destination when they received the call that a tornado had hit the school.
“We had to turn back,” Henley said. “The gas lines needed to be turned off, and the only person who knew how [to do that] was driving our bus.”
Becky Montalvo, a Harmony Grove teacher and mother of a 2017 senior, recounted that the students had to eat lunch at the fire station that day because of downed trees. “What an experience,” she said.
Montalvo applauded Henley and school administrators for recognizing the importance of the trip for the seniors and allowing them to partake in the school tradition before they graduate.
May and his wife, Donna, are happy to host fun days for people like the Harmony Grove crew, he said. Weekdays are filled with school and other types of groups, and through this month, the pumpkin patch and activities on the 42-acre farm are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
“One day last fall, we had 1,500 people come out,” May said.
During the summer months, the farm operates as a day camp, serving about 250 children per day. The Mays staff about 50 college-age counselors who take up residence in the grand log lodge.
With their Christian values, the Mays have a long history of inspiring children. In addition to the 32-year-old day camp, they are retired educators. Stan was a football coach at Benton High School and for several other school districts, and Donna was a science teacher.
On the special day for the Haskell Harmony Grove Cardinals, the Mays were discussing plans back and forth on their walkie-talkies and going to and fro on their golf cart, making sure the students’ needs were met and all were having a good time.
The smiles and echoing yells and laughter indicated a good time was had, indeed.