Hutterian Community School
The students and staff at Crystal Spring School are members of the Hutterian Brethren. The Hutterites are a religious group of peoples who migrated to Canada from the United States in the 1918.
Over time, the Hutterites have developed a very distinct cultural lifestyle.
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. ~Proverbs 22:6
Community of Goods
One of the main differences between Hutterites and other religious groups such as the Mennonites and Amish is that the Hutterites live in communal groups. All things are shared equally.
Why Community of goods?
The Hutterites try to live in accordance with the teachings of the early apostolic church. Acts 2:44 “And all that believed were together and had all things in common”.
Meal Times
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the communal dining hall. The children always eat before the adults (15 and up). Then, while the adults eat, the older children are responsible for babysitting their siblings. This way, the parents can enjoy a relaxed meal!
Over the years, Hutterites have developed somewhat of a reputation for their good food. Some of our Hutterian dishes reflect our German heritage. Foods such as Geschtel Suppen, Vorsch Cnadle, Maultoschen and Sauerkraut are particularly liked.
Farming
Farming is still a very important part of many Hutterian communities. However, with the aid of modern technologies such as GPS, farming has become more and more automated. Harvesting used to be labour intensive; however, today thousands of acres can be harvested with a fraction of the manpower.
Leisure
Hutterites enjoy a variety of different leisure activities. Sports may enclude hockey, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, boarding, waterskiing, fishing, volleyball, softball, soccer, etc. Hutterites also enjoy different types of craft such as sewing, woodworking, painting, and drawing.
Crafts
Crystal Spring School features a woodworking shop where students can learn various woodworking skills. One of the types of woodworking that students particularly enjoy, is Intarsia. Intarsia is a form of wood inlaying in which the artist uses varied shapes, sizes and species of wood fitted together to create an almost 3-D inlaid or mosaic-like picture. View more examples.
Work Places
Visitors to any Hutterite colony are likely to find quite the variety of vocations. Hutterites are farmers, livestock managers, manufactures, and tradesmen. In the last number of years, the Hutterites have begun to realize the need for diversification in the way they produce their livelihood. Many Hutterian communities have turned to manufacturing as a means of employing their members. See links below.