Why Roots & Wings?
At the 2024 Reunion with Attention to the Arts coffee house, the four Hilgendorf siblings—Kris '77, Cherry '79, Betsy '81, and Dhaivyd '83—sang an original song titled "(Scattergood Gave Us) Roots & Wings." The lyrics aptly summarized the ways the community at Scattergood provides grounding for students. A temporary home suddenly occupies a permanent spot in one's heart. When flying into the world after graduation, students take with them the values, skills, and connections facilitated by Scattergood, and eventually they begin to establish roots in their new communities.
Why a Comprehensive Campaign?
As we look ahead to the future, three fundraising strategies seem paramount to the success of the school. First, we must continue to support the Annual Fund in order to ensure that the day-to-day operations of Scattergood continue uninterrupted during this fundraising effort. Second, we must address a number of critical facilities needs to ensure the school's ability to support students, staff, and guests. Finally, we must work with our life-time supporters to ensure that their estate plans are understood and honored by future Scattergood leaders. To that end, we are considering this a “comprehensive campaign” instead of a “capital campaign.” By thinking of this as larger than just the capital projects, our focus remains on all three of these important development goals.
Annual Fund Progress
$750,000 over 3 years
Capital Projects Goal
Raised: $2,015,725 / Goal: $2,750,000 over 3 years
The Hickory Grove
30 documented commitments over 3 years
Wendy '76 & Bill Bale
Steve Smith '57
Roy Helm '76 & Pam King
Phil '60 & Madeline Henderson
Kate Kamaya '98
Flo Francis Friender '59
Ellen Abbott '73 & Jerry Krause
Anonymous
(1970s alum)
Anonymous
(1970s alum)
Ann Robinson & Julia Robinson-Frantsvog
A.M. & Deborah Fink
Roots & Wings Lyrics
Original Lyrics By Dhaivyd Hilgendorf '83
Verse: G D C Am, G D C -, Em Bm C Am, G D C D
G D C Am, G D C -, Em Bm C Am, G D C C
Chorus: G D Em C, G D C -, G – – – C – G – , G D C G
A Quaker boarding high-school, on a farm in Iowa,
Where people learn to be themselves
Lifelong learning, inspiration
To know your will and learn new skills
(Though) laundry whites may come back pink
And the pig barn really stinks
Bakin’ bread and sheets of granola
To start off the day
Then sliding right into Collection
To help your mind awake(n)
Sharing thoughts and learning lots
While classes build the brain
Then go out on the field
And Ring-Around-the-Rosy in the rain
CHORUS:
To scatter good everywhere,
They had to bend the thoroughfare
From the Circle to the Dream, they gave us roots and wings
Roots and wings, (they gave us) roots and wings
From the Circle to the Dream, they gave us roots and wings.
We spent time on the Prairie, muddy bodies in the pond,
UmbaGumbaLand on the way there, and a house made out of sod
Had fun in the dark room, the solar gym and Pit,
When we shared Light in the Meeting House, we knew that this was IT.
We spent time in the Basin, the phone booth and the Main
Leaving notes upon the Post made messaging quite plain.
Toss a disc in the circle, by the sculpture near the dorm
When the bell said “time for dinner,” our tosses lost their form.
CHORUS
Some folks went for soccer, or hockey on the grass
You could folk dance in a circle or skate and land on your ass
In the Spring we went down rivers, to Mexico, DC
And when we went on down to Coffeetown, the school day became free.
Stayed up to dawn on prank night, setting tables upside down
We streaked right through the girls dorm hall without our clothing on
On Saturdays we’d go to town- Wee Bee or IC
When perspectives came to visit, we showed ‘em how to be.
CHORUS
BRIDGE: Em Am C G D C G, C G
Simplicity, peace,
integrity, community,
Equality – we’ve got SPICE
In aces, uncompromising basis
Our walkin’ does the talkin’
Cuz it’s RIGHT!
Yeah,
Our walkin’ does the talkin’
Cuz it’s RIGHT!
We could shear a goat, card the wool, and spin it into yarn
Weave a master tapestry on a loom, crochet or darn
Take some photos, process them, make an artsy book
With hand-placed little letters in the printing class we took.
Some took up ceramics, some liked blowing glass
We wrote some poems for Scatterings, or painted prairie grass
We put on plays, sang in choir, our harmonies were on.
Except on someone’s birthday when we sang it rather wrong!
CHORUS
CHORUS Lines 3 & 4
CHORUS Line 4
Volunteers
The volunteers working on the Roots & Wings Campaign make it possible for our small school to achieve so much. Volunteering is one way someone can choose to support the campaign. The steering committee—composed of people from the school committee, the IYM(C) community, the alumni community, the extended community, and the school staff—shaped the plans for this campaign with the input of dozens of people who volunteered their time and insights. We deeply appreciate all the work put into the campaign so far.
Volunteers help connect the development team with people excited about Scattergood’s mission. They help solicit gifts from their peers. They organize events. They keep their classmates connected. They apply for grants, They do SO much based on their skills and interests. If you would like to volunteer as part of the campaign, please reach out to Ethan at development@scattergood.org to begin identifying the ways you can help.
The Roots & Wings Steering Committee
Co–)Chair(s):
Carole Winkleblack – Carole Winkleblack admits, though she did not attend Scattergood Friends School, she is a Scattergood “wanna be.” She is a retired public librarian and lives on a small farm with her husband Bob in rural Washington County, Iowa. She is a member of Iowa City Friends Meeting and serves on several Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) committees. She is active in the political action work and governance of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL).
Ethan Huelskamp –
John Zimmerman –
Kale Williams ’69 –
Nick Knight –
Ruth Hampton ’85 –