Page 21 - FIS World November 2016

Apple’s Abundance
The fruit’s long history in Hessen lives on through FIS celebrations
It is a season of abundance in Hessen. Apples, tangy, sweet and crisp, in all shapes and colors, are celebrated in
our local communities. With two-thirds of German apples produced in Hessen, apples are the state’s most signi cant crop. Local cuisine has developed a myriad of sweets – apple mousse, pancakes and turnovers, with the apple crumble reigning supreme in every Bäckerei. Pressed apples for juice, cider and wine – Hessen’s “national drink” – are integral to our local culture.
As in many German gardens, our
backyard has its own apple tree. This
old and craggy tree has put forth
apples galore. We have gifted, baked,
breaded, stewed and sauced much of
our harvest. This abundance makes us
thankful. Was it Johnny Appleseed, the
barefooted pioneer who had given
apple seeds to frontier settlements in
America, who also gifted apples to
German families, my children
wondered? At the Saalburg we found
the answer – it was the Romans! The rst apple seeds came to the Taunus, with the expansion of the Roman Empire north of the Rhine, in the 1st century AD.
From its beginnings, October has been the month of Applefest at FIS. Initially planned to receive 70 students in 1961, FIS was like a bountiful apple tree, with student abundance brimming capacity. By 1964, FIS had grown by 700% to over 400 students and that was the year that our Parent Teacher Group (PTG) and Applefest rst came to life. Growth continued, and by 1967, FIS had blossomed to more than 700 students.
Clive and Cynthia Fenner, FIS in-house historians, arrived that same year as young teachers from England, and cheered the rst diploma graduates FIS cultivated. They remember the excitement of this extraordinary school growth, but the “surging demand” depleted nancial resources. Money was sparse and Applefest came to the rescue to buy “the extra little things.”
Parents, teachers and students came together to raise the needed money to purchase buckets and shovels for the small ones, as well as science and writing supplies, and the celebration also enhanced school spirit. It had high dosages of fun, soaking teachers in the dunk-tank and celebrating local Hessian culture. Ms. Fenner fondly recalled that “children dressed like apples” and many wore apple hats. Mr. Fenner re ected, “Applefest has been part of our school
Students use a traditional Hessian press to make fresh-squeezed apple juice
as long as I can remember.” Inspired by the traditions of Thanksgiving and Harvest Festivals, it strengthened the FIS international community.
Applefest continues to be a thriving tradition at FIS. Anne-Marie Moelker, PTG Event Manager, highlights that today it is a “you do not want to miss it” great school “party,” a carnival with games, delicious foods, crafts and much more. Applefest has grown to become a student-driven event, aimed at promoting the school’s service groups, including the Alfred Delp-Haus in Oberursel where students and their families help out in the community garden and where they will harvest surplus apples to be hand-pressed during Applefest in traditional Hessian fashion.
A parent volunteer beautifully described the festival as connecting the students’“service to the world with happiness and fun.” She added, “Here at FIS, most of us are able to lead a fortunate life. Sharing this abundance with the rest of the world through the service groups sows a seed of ‘giving’ and gratitude in our students of all ages.” Indeed, Applefest is marked with abundance at FIS. Thank you Romans, for bringing the apple seeds to Hessen!
Deirdre Harriet-Boettcher FIS Parent
November 2016 FIS World 19