Traditionally Episcopal has made a point to hold two separate Grandparents’ Days to celebrate its families—one for Upper School and one for Middle School families. While some grandparents overlapped by attending both events in one year, overall the crowds were smaller and lunch was easily held in the Munnerlyn Center after the student performances in the theatre.
This year was a different story, however. With Fiddler on the Roof scheduled in the spring, it was just too busy to try to plan an additional family-oriented day. In the spirit of “transcending tradition,” Director of Parent Programs Donna Richard spearheaded the project and challenged the School to host one all-school Grandparents’ Day in the fall. Originally expecting about five hundred attendees total, the event was adjusted for lunch to be held in the Buck Student Center instead of in the Munnerlyn, which gave the School the opportunity to serve a hot meal and seat everyone in one large room. The adjusted date—Friday, October 9—was also a half-day for students; as a result, Richard hoped to have a more relaxed lunch atmosphere since students didn’t have to run to their next class soon after, and that more out-of-town grandparents would be able to attend since the event was close to the weekend.
As the date approached, nearly seven hundred attendees had RSVPed! This unexpected surprise delighted Richard: “I was so pleased that the change in format was appealing. The more the merrier! This is part of our community here at Episcopal; we love to see our families on campus.” When the day of the event rolled around, nearly everyone who had reserved a space showed, smiling and excited to see their grandchildren. Many grandparents came in from out of town—as far away as New England and California—while others came from the opposite side of the city. The students welcomed them into their school by fetching lunches and drinks, and by telling their grandparents about their days at Episcopal. An energizing buzz filled the Buck and smiles were seen on nearly every face, no matter where one looked. The student performances, ranging from dance to choral, theatre to instrumental music, was exceptional. Lunch, just as hoped, was relaxed and gave families a time to connect and enjoy one another.
As we work to fulfill the yearlong theme of “celebrating family, creating community, and transcending tradition,” it’s easy to see that Episcopal did so with Grandparents’ Day 2009. Head of School Dale Regan summed up the event perfectly, saying, “The day defined what we mean when we talk about the Episcopal community.” And we know a few grandparents who couldn’t agree more. Thank you to all who participated and performed!