By Lysa Allman-Baldwin

Each year just before Christmas, the air at Unity Village is filled with the animated voices of young children who come to present a special holiday program for Unity employees. The students, who attend the Hazel Grove Elementary School adjacent to Unity Village, are continuing a 30-year tradition.

This year's concert featured classic holiday carols and students playing instruments. Santa also made a visit, to the delight of Unity employees and the students.

The Hazel Grove Connection
Named after the hazel nut trees that filled the ravine directly behind it, Hazel Grove Elementary School began in 1860 as a one-room log schoolhouse down the road from what would become Unity Village, Missouri.

In 1930, development plans called for a new road to run straight through the school. Fortunately, Unity Farm (now Unity Village) stepped in to save the school by donating a parcel of land on the Village's northwest side. The school reopened at its new location in 1940 and was considered the most modern school facility in Missouri at the time. It included four classrooms, running water, water fountains (a rarity for schools then), a school office and a gymnasium.

Today the school has 28 classrooms, approximately 440 students, and 56 teachers and staff—a far cry from its one-room schoolhouse days. Its connection to Unity Village remains strong today.

Unity Employees Remember
The annual Christmas program is especially heartwarming for employees of Unity who attended the school. Communications specialist Elaine Meyer has fond memories of her kindergarten through sixth grade years at Hazel Grove in the 1970s. “It was a small school. Everyone knew everyone else, and numerous people had relatives that worked at Unity,” she says. Meyer's father, grandparents, aunts and uncles were among those who worked at the Village. Her mother also spent many years as The Grove's librarian.

Meyer and her schoolmates came to Unity Village on numerous occasions over the years. “When I was in first, second and third grades we came to Unity to decorate Maypoles on May Day,” she says. “Another time we took a field trip to watch the magazines being published, and also got to tour the apple orchards.”  

During the holidays, Santa Claus always made an appearance. “When we were in kindergarten and first grade, it was believable that Santa would show up at our school. Then in third grade, someone noticed him walking from Unity Village along the side of the road. As soon as he got to the school, kids quizzed him about where his reindeer were!”

Senior multimedia artist Jenny Hahn attended the Wee Wisdom Preschool at Unity Village (operating from 1952 to 1982) before enrolling at Hazel Grove in the early 1980s. Hahn has fond memories of playing tetherball at recess, learning from her favorite teachers and singing the school song:

Here's to Hazel Grove,

School that we love.

Best in all the world,

It ranks high above.

Hahn also recalls coming to Unity Village with her friends. “I remember going on a class picnic on the [Unity Village] grounds and swimming in the pool once for a birthday party,” she says. “I also have vague memories of going in the Tower and hearing it chime. Unity Village was a really cool and mysterious place … with a very welcoming feeling.”

About Unity Village
As the spiritual headquarters for the worldwide Unity movement, the Unity campus encompasses 1,400 acres of beautiful countryside along with formal gardens, magnificent fountains, walking trails, a “green” hotel and conference center, a swimming pool and a nine-hole golf course. The grounds also include an extensive metaphysical library, a bookstore and coffee shop, and a variety of peaceful indoor and outdoor chapels for prayer and meditation.

Unity Tower and the original Silent Unity Building are included on the National Register of Historic Places.

In retrospect, Meyer and Hahn appreciate their continued connection with Hazel Grove. “When I was younger, I couldn't wait to graduate from school and move away from Missouri and small-town life,” Meyer says. “I did for awhile, but inevitably I returned to my roots and now greatly appreciate the benefit of having gone to a small school and making lifelong friendships with other students and teachers.”

Hahn echoes those sentiments. “Life will take you many places, but you can't forget your roots. This area will always be home to me.”
 

Learn more about Unity Village.