MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — Sisters, a brief update on the city-wide pumpkin shortage. As promised, Vice Principal Harry Segewick drove a flatbed truck from Abounding Acres to the front of Capstone last Friday afternoon, loaded with 300 pumpkins from his back field. Free of charge. For the children.
It was a lovely gesture. Unfortunately, the pumpkins were orange.
Not a soft orange. Not a “harvest” orange. These were, in the words of our committee, aggressively, almost confrontationally orange. When we held the approved palette swatches (Sage, Oat and Quiet Money) up to them, not one pumpkin came close. We tried. Kinsley held a swatch next to a single pumpkin for almost a full minute.
“They’re pumpkins,” Mr. Segewick explained, very patiently. “That’s the color they come in.” We asked whether he had any that came in oat. He said he would “ask the field.” We thought that was very generous of the field.
So the committee voted 9–0 to respectfully decline the pumpkins on behalf of the school. Unfortunately, the vote happened after dismissal had already started, and by the time we finished, the children had taken them. All of them. Every single pumpkin. Several third graders took two. One kindergartner chose a pumpkin bigger than he was and refused all help carrying it to the car, which is honestly the kind of leadership we’d like to see more of in this organization.
Becca mentioned that when Mr. Segewick did the same thing at Southwest Elementary, their PTO just said thank you and made him a card. We’ve asked Becca to bring that idea to the next meeting, where we will discuss what kind of card.
Doug the goat rode along on the truck. Doug is not coming to school, and we want to be very clear about that. He did stay for about forty minutes.
Our 400 Napa pumpkins remain behind the velvet rope, perfectly oat and completely untouched. Several children asked what they are for. We’re still working on the answer.
UPDATE: Parents report the orange pumpkins have since been carved, painted, named, slept next to and, in one case, taken on a family trip to Gulf Shores. We are so proud the school could provide them.