NCSD wraps the Maypole for May Day

Every student from the North Carolina School for the Deaf sat in the grass, surrounded by teachers, faculty, and even the Mayor of Morganton Ronnie Thompson, all staring at a flagpole with a rainbow of ribbons hanging from the tip — the Maypole.

High school social studies teacher David Bird signed to the group, telling the history of May Day, a celebration of spring that the school observes each May.

The school stopped wrapping the Maypole for nearly five decades before reviving the tradition in 2003. The faculty now take the time every year to let the students relax and enjoy the sunshine.

“The king and queen in the court, it was their tradition from royalty to recognize the beginning of spring and fertility,” Bird said, explaining the European history of the celebration.

Along with wrapping the Maypole, the school recognizes a May king and queen from the high school grades, and a prince and princess from both elementary and middle school.

The elementary students were like fire and ice, with Princess Ellie G. moving sheepishly to accept her paper crown while Prince Christian B. bolted from the crowd once high school English teacher Trish Shelton announced his name.

The middle schoolers, Sohana G. and DJ H., earned more elaborate headwear, with crowns of plastic gold and jewels shimmering in the sun.

When middle school princess Sohana bounced up from her seat in the grass and strode forward, Shelton commented, “Calling you princess, that got your attention, didn’t it?”

The May king and queen, high school seniors Rivka V. and Christian P., received their sashes just before a collection of high schoolers wrapped the Maypole with green, purple, and yellow ribbons — a colorful nod to the theme of the recent prom, Mardi Gras.

With intricate movements, they wove around the pole for several minutes, slowly growing tighter and tighter until they were forced to maneuver over and under each other to keep the ribbons in order. Their laughter was the only sound breaking the silence of the crowd.

Following the wrapping ceremony, the students across all grade levels broke into a game of “Elephant,” where one student spun in the middle and randomly selected another student.

The selected student and the two beside them made specific hand signs, or they got put in the middle of the circle.

“School is over in the summer,” Bird said. “So, it’s just a moment to take a rest and to take a break from all the hoopla at the end of the year.”