From our All-School Assembly, February 28, 2024
Written by Nell Dailey
“On this rainy day in February, I want to share a story with you. So sit back, put your phones away, and give me your attention.
Trish Friesland, some of you might know her from CRMS, shared with me a great word: FARCH. It sounds like a swear word, but it isn’t. That is what makes it so fun to say. It is the time period of February and March and it can be a tough time. There are 1,000 shades of brown, we are concluding winter sports and spring sports haven’t started which switches up some social stuff. It can feel - Farchy.”
Assemblies bring the whole school and staff together for a variety of reasons: to celebrate accomplishments in and out of school, to announcing the activities available in which to participate, a shared experience with speakers or games, and sometimes it is used as a way to address the student body when things are hard.
During this assembly, we addressed Farch. Then I shared a story of when I was in high school, feeling down. A classmate, not a friend, teammate, or someone I am in touch with now, stopped me in the hallway to share a new song she heard that reminded her of me. It was a kindness, a small act that made me feel seen at a time when I wasn’t that confident in myself.
Students have stopped me in the hallway to share they can feel Farchy or feel the effects of March on their energy, positivity, and focus. Adolescents are big feelers and if those feelings are dreary teens may show us in strange ways: avoidant, glum, angry, depressed or hyperactive, distracted, speedy. Luckily, the strategy I shared with the students at the assembly helps to lift the Farchy Feeling.
“This brings me to share a school-wide optional activity for FARCH: Rainbow in the Clouds. Dr. Maya Angelou talks about being a Rainbow in someone’s cloud using lyrics from a 19th-century African-American song: “When it looked like the sun wasn’t gonna shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds.” When we have difficult times or clouds, there are people around us who are there to help. These are the rainbows. Dr. Angelou shared in this video, that she brings with her the rainbows she has received so that she can be a rainbow to someone else.”
CHRHS has a Rainbow in the Clouds growing everyday. [picture] On it, are sticky notes answering the following questions: What can you do to help someone else? How can you be a rainbow? Or if it makes more sense to you, write down what you would need from someone to help you through this dreary time of year. How can you find a rainbow when you need one?
Farch is a good time to lift people up and be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.
Be well,
Nell