It’s not quite spring yet, but the Pancake Breakfast, brought to you by the Alumni Heritage Association, always feels like the perfect way to kick off the season!

 

This year’s celebration brought the Orchard community together for a fun, sunny (but cold) morning of good food and great company. More than 900 tickets were sold, and kids still ran around outside between bites of pancakes.

 

Orchard alums played live music, designed this year's t-shirt, and worked the griddles—cooking over an open fire, just like beloved teacher Fred Lorenz used to. Over in the sugar shack, longtime Orchard teacher Diana Shellahus, who learned the craft from Fred himself and has been at 41 Pancake Breakfasts, raised a cup of tea in his honor.

 

The biggest shoutout goes to our first graders, who spent the last month tapping trees, collecting sap, and boiling it down to syrup in science class. Our Maple Syrup Experts even measured out the perfect amount for every guest to try.

 

Thanks to everyone who made it happen—see you next year! Enjoy the video and photos from the morning.