Family Weekend Gets an A!
Even on a regular school day, the hallways in Upper School can get quite busy during “passing periods” between classes. So it was quite impressive that—with more than 200 visitors added to the mix on the Friday of Family Weekend—everyone still made it to class on time. (Well, sort of!)
Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and house parents were, as always, thrilled with the opportunity to go “back to school.” Whether it was learning how to identify tree species, brushing up on their Spanish, or cracking some computer code, the visitors were active and engaged during their class visits.
A much-appreciated addition to the usual program was the morning “chapel” that started everyone off on the right foot. Principal Travis Brantingham welcomed students, faculty, and visitors and set a tone of gratitude, recounting the many activities and achievements of the first six weeks of school.
Upper School Assistant Principal Nancy Heimerl then delivered an inspirational talk on overcoming challenges. She was followed by two students from each grade, who shared some of their journal entries that described moments of growth and learning on the September character education trips. Parents returned to Ridgway Auditorium for a closing session with Dean of Innovation and Academics Peter Dry, before dispersing to hear a selection of student presentations.
After classes, it was time for some fun . . .
“Reflections of Good,” as the Friday night Family Weekend Concert was titled, more than lived up to its name. Student musicians, actors, singers, and dancers provided an hour of polished performances to a packed audience in Ridgway.
Saturday morning’s activities were especially meaningful for boarding parents who were able to spend time with their children’s house parents, and spontaneously share gratitude and examples of students’ love for each other. Both day and boarding parents attended an administrators’ panel in the Game Room, with the floor open for parents to ask questions and raise issues of interest to them regarding the curriculum, athletics, and technology, among other items. Later that afternoon, families supported the boys’ varsity soccer and football teams as they won their games.
Eventually, it was a contented group of parents and students who attended the Saturday evening class dessert parties, which were a great opportunity for local and out-of-town families to get to know each other.