Skip To Main Content

Origami Cranes – Bringing Hope and Healing to Our Community

RSS Feeds Subscribe to Alerts
Origami Cranes – Bringing Hope and Healing to Our Community

This past fall in art class, students learned about cranes and their cultural significance around the world. In Japan, origami cranes are symbols of hope and peace. An old Japanese folktale promises that anyone who folds 1,000 cranes will be granted a wish! This practice was popularized after World War II by the story of Sadako Sasaki. Communities often band together to fold 1,000 cranes for a shared purpose. At The Willows, origami paper was sent home with our DK thru 8th grade students. In art history, 3rd thru 8th graders learned about cranes and how to fold origami cranes in art class to create a community senbazuru, a group of 1,000 cranes, to promote hope, health, and healing for our community during this challenging time. Our diverse and inclusive community banded together and folded over 2,000 cranes!

The Willows WPA Co-Chairs, Taryn Condo and Lori Hashimoto, and art teachers Jean and Kristy, all played an integral part in the final installations of the cranes. There are three installations throughout campus. The spiraling care installation in the Middle School art room totals 1,000 cranes, the installation in the 3rd-5th grade building has around 850 cranes, and the remainder of the cranes are in the installation behind the front desk of The Willows entrance.

Middle School art teacher Jean Magers said, “It was so rewarding to see the kids delight in these gorgeous crane installations and then watch them realize that they had a part in making it. I love everything that it represents – beauty, hope, dreams, determination, and the power of community.”

Lower School art teacher Kristy Acero said, “I loved the collaboration aspect of this project and how the entire community was involved in some shape or form. The results are striking and loved the wow factor from the students!”

This school-wide community project exemplifies and highlights the cohesive, nurturing, and inclusive community we foster here at The Willows. The word “community” is indeed an intentional and integral part of our name.

Learn about The Willows Visual Arts Program Here

Explore More Tips for Parents

RSS Feeds Subscribe to Alerts
Exploring Biodiversity and Giving Back: The Willows Service-Learning Trip to Costa Rica
Exploring Biodiversity and Giving Back: The Willows Service-Learning Trip to Costa Rica

Over spring break, a group of 30 Willows Middle School students had the unforgettable opportunity to travel to Costa Rica for a unique service-learning experience that combined environmental stewardship, cultural immersion, and hands-on science. Over the course of the trip, students learned from biologists, conservationists, and local community members to help support projects aimed at preserving the country’s rich biodiversity and natural beauty.

Listening to Nature: The Bird Calls Phone at The Willows
Listening to Nature: The Bird Calls Phone at The Willows

Tweet! Tweet! Dialing Up!

If you visit our campus, you may see an unusual sight: students and staff using a pay phone. No change is required to use this payphone! It’s a Bird Calls Phone! Installed on the outside of our Willows 3 Building, the phone is used by students throughout the day. Simply pick up the handset and push a dial-pad number and you hear various bird calls. This ornithological landscape also offers brief information about each bird such as habitat and description.

Group pic of those that attended the Pollyanna conference representing The Willows
What is Pollyanna? Discover the Lasting Impact

For years, The Willows has proudly sent students, faculty, alumni, parents, administrators, and trustees to the inspiring Pollyanna conference at Harvard-Westlake. These gathering have become an integral part of our community’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

For those that have never attended, you might be wondering – what exactly is Pollyanna, and why does it matter?

10 Key Experiences Willows Students Enjoy Before Graduation
10 Key Experiences Willows Students Enjoy Before Graduation

How do you provide an education that prepares students not just for school, but for life? By providing meaningful experiences. From the moment students step into our classrooms in Developmental Kindergarten to the day they graduate in 8th Grade, they embark on an engaging educational journey that shapes their character, nurtures their creativity, and builds their skills for life beyond school.

Each grade at The Willows offers unique opportunities that define a student’s journey and contribute to who they become as learners and citizens. These signature experiences are deeply rooted in our mission to cultivate curiosity, collaboration, and confidence in every child.

Here are 10 experiences—one for each grade—that Willows student will experience before graduation.