Upcoming Events
The Farm Festival. MLK March. Big Night Out! Farm Outing Day. These are more than events in support of Manhattan Country School’s mission and values. These community-oriented events are a showcase that bring students, parents, alumni and friends together to share in the warmth and spirit of the MCS experience. We welcome you to join us!
FARM FESTIVAL
Manhattan Country School hosts its annual Farm Festival on the third Saturday in October. Parent volunteers turn East 96th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues into an urban carnival, offering family-friendly entertainment including rides, games, crafts, a silent auction, raffles and live music.
The MCS Farm Festival offers a variety of homemade baked goods, a wide variety of delicious ethnic cuisine and fresh produce from our farm in Roxbury, N.Y. Admission is free and tickets for food, games and rides will be available for purchase. In the event of rain, festivities will take place indoors. Ages 3 and up. Open to the public.
The MCS Farm Festival is one of Manhattan Country School community’s most special and beloved annual traditions.
Watch a recent Farm Festival video featuring MCS alumni.
Manhattan Country School Farm Festival 2011 from Manhattan Country School on Vimeo.
HOLIDAY BOOK FAIR
In December, Manhattan Country School hosts its Holiday Book Fair in partnership with Barnes & Noble. A percentage of the proceeds go to support MCS.
The annual Holiday Book Fair is organized by MCS’ 9-10s and 6th grade parents and located at the Barnes & Noble at 150 E. 86 Street between Lexington and Third Avenues. While the primary goal is fundraising, parent organizers sometimes invite special authors and illustrators for day or evening readings during the Holiday Book Fair.
How can I support? Shop! Parents, alumni and friends are welcome to visit the book fair with their children or on their own during Barnes & Noble’s store hours (9 a.m. – 11 p.m.) to purchase books for all ages, magazines, holiday gifts, educational toys and so much more.
BIG NIGHT OUT!
You’re invited to Big Night Out! to benefit Manhattan Country School on Saturday, May 4, 2013, from 6:30 - 10:30 p.m. Location TBA
Cocktails * Dinner * Dancing * Auction * featuring Latin jazz by Folklore Urbano
Manhattan Country School’s “Living the Dream” Mentor Award honors excellence and leadership in progressive education, arts and sciences, social and environmental justice and community activism.
FARM OUTING DAY/ALUMNI REUNION
Manhattan Country School’s Farm Outing Day is held in June. All MCS families, alumni and friends are invited to a community picnic at our 180-acre farm in Roxbury, N.Y., 150 miles north-northwest of New York City in the Catskill Mountains.
Many people drive, others can take a chartered bus that leaves from the school at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. New families who will be joining the MCS community the following fall are also invited. In addition to picnics, there are opportunities for tours and hay rides. There is ample room for lawn games, music, dancing, and other informally organized entertainment. Food and drinks can be purchased at reasonable cost and include products raised on the farm: lamb shish kebabs, eggs, garlic, pickles, and milk. Don’t forget to bring a change of clothes, water shoes, instruments, kites, Frisbees, balls, etc.
Save gas and take the bus leaving from MCS at 7:45 a.m. Call Lorraine Walton at (212) 348-0952 to reserve. Cost: $35 per person and $120 for a group of four.
For an extended stay in the Catskills:
www.margaretvillelodging.com
www.theroxburymotel.com
www.stonetavernfarm.com
www.colonialmotel.biz
Farm Outing Day Schedule:
7:45 a.m. – Bus departure from MCS
11 a.m. – Bus arrival at MCS Farm
Noon – Tours of farmhouse, textiles studio, barn and gardens
2 p.m. – Baking in outdoor wood-fired oven
2:30 p.m. – Tours of farmhouse, textiles studio, barn and gardens
3 p.m. – Bus departs MCS Farm to NYC
About the MCS Farm: The MCS Farm consists of 180 acres of meadows, pastures, woods and streams at the base of Plattekill Mountain. There is a three-story farmhouse, an attached greenhouse, an outdoor wood-burning oven, a large barn, nature lab, weather station, textiles studio, and sap house for producing maple syrup, a recreation building and a historic building, the Stone House, used for demonstrations of traditional woodstove cooking and conferences. On the farm there is livestock, including dairy and beef cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens. Two large gardens provide vegetables consumed year round.
MLK MARCH
Manhattan Country School teaches students to know about the world they live in and to play an active role in making it better. Students are cultivated to be agents of change, who bring passion, perspective and intellect to solve the world’s problems.
At MCS, eighth graders lead a march of 200 to 300 people for the school’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. March that takes place on the national holiday in January. Students choose the theme, march route and then deliver researched speeches on contemporary civil rights issues.
MCS families, alumni, staff, friends, supporters, and the public are invited to attend. Join us at the beginning of the march or meet us along the route to hear student speeches, sing freedom songs, and participate in a unique event that is educational and uplifting.
CONTACT US
For more information, please contact Nancy Hsu, Parent Fundraising & Special Events Coordinator, at nhsu@manhattancountryschool.org or (212) 348-0952.