Help an Experiential School on a Mediterranean Island Create Fall Ceremonies

About The Field School of Hvar

The Field School of Hvar is an independent enrichment program located in Jelsa, on the island of Hvar, Croatia. We bring together children ages 3 through 15 from around the world for a year-round academic program grounded in experiential learning, close reading, and deep engagement with literature, history, and the natural world. Small groups, meaningful work, and genuine community are at the heart of everything we do. Our curriculum is organized based on a chronological story of Western human development. In the fall of 2026, we will be centered in pre-history and Ancient Greece.

AUTUMN on HVAR

Hallowtide — the three days of All Hallows' Eve, All Saints, and All Souls — is one of the most layered moments in the Western calendar. Here on Hvar, as the vineyards redden with the turning of the season and olives ripen for the harvest, families fill our village cemeteries with distinctive lanterns and bouquets for lost loved ones. It is a solemn and beautiful season to collectively remember those who have gone before and to recognize our own transience. For children, especially, it is a rare moment to address fear and sadness directly, with tenderness and hope.

We are looking for a Fellow who can help us hold all of this solemnity and layers of spiritual tradition in a secular celebration that brings children into a safe, joyful encounter with loss, memory, and renewal.

Parameters

Role: Field Fellows join our community in a dual role: as a participant — enrolling your own children in the program alongside other Field School families — and as a contributing expert.

Reciprocity. In return, we offer a full scholarship covering your children's tuition for the term. Think of this as an invitation to a family adventure - a season of immersion in Mediterranean village life at its most bucolic.

Storytelling. We'd love to be part of your story if this experience moves you, and we ask for one long-form piece (a podcast episode, Substack essay, or video) within 90 days of your residency, provided that it feels like a natural fit.

Dates and Time Commitment. Our fall session runs September 5 through November 28, 2026. Expect to contribute about one active day each week of planning, coordination, and direct instruction. In addition, this Fellow will likely want to spend additional time researching and exploring the island.

THE PROJECT

Children will explore the concepts of cycle, memory, and the afterlife across multiple disciplines in our fall term. In science, students will observe cycles of decay in the garden, with a special emphasis on compost. In math, they will use quantitative reasoning to ferment, salt, marinate, and otherwise preserve the fall harvest. In language, therefore, students will explore the story of the nekyia of Homer - Odysseus’ descent into the underworld. In social studies, children will explore ‘how death was dressed’ in the ancient world.

The Fellow will be responsible for designing and implementing a storytelling and craft arc that culminates in a collective ceremony - a moment that honors local Hallowtide traditions without requiring any particular profession of faith.