The smooth seed inside — effort reveals something strong and polished.

The horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), not to be confused with the edible chestnuts from the Castanea family, plays an important role here at CreateSchools. These prickly-coated husks with their smooth seeds have become an indicator of a “job well done” at our school.

Awarded for the simplicity of everyday accomplishments, each chestnut reminds students that growth happens quietly, step by step, and that consistent effort matters. Whether it is cooperation, active listening, follow-through on a project or request, or accepting a challenge and working toward an outcome, we recognise that these small efforts are part of a greater whole. The reward is a chestnut.

Why the horse chestnut? Why not stickers?

One could point to the historical fact that in Bayern, incredible beer gardens are shaded by dense chestnut trees — trees originally planted to keep beer cellars cool during the summer months. But for us, the meaning runs deeper.

In typical reward systems, the pattern can become: work, behaviour, task, then “What do I get?” The focus shifts to the prize.

The simple chestnut is not flashy, and it is not immediately redeemable. It represents effort, contribution, belonging, and progress. It allows students to see their individual effort as part of something larger. It celebrates effort, not just excellence. It builds community, not competition. It teaches patience without preaching it.

On its own, a chestnut fits in the palm of your hand. But together, these lovely, marble-like gifts from nature become currency, currency that students collect and combine to purchase a reward of their choosing. Whether it is heading to a movie together as a class, attending a theatre production, visiting an event in the city, enjoying dinner at a swanky restaurant, exploring a museum, bouncing at a trampoline park, or spending a school overnight where students always play hide-and-seek with the lights out in the halls.

It is the everyday nature of this reward system, the step-by-step building of chestnut currency, that teaches delayed gratification and pride in work well done.

Cute note: Josue in Foundation is hoping to collect enough chestnuts for a trip to Hawaii! 🌴

One chestnut feels small, but over time, one becomes many. A handful becomes a basket. And that basket becomes a shared celebration: proof that small, consistent efforts grow into something worth gathering around.