Every year, students look forward to the decades-old tradition of Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day, which gives kindergarten, Lower School and Middle School students an opportunity to share their lives at Greenhill with family members and other special guests.
This year, the event will take place on the morning of Nov. 20 and include the annual photo booth, musical performances, classroom activities and campus tours.
Freshman Vivianne Wang recalls how happy her grandparents were to spend the day together.
“It was an opportunity for my grandparents to come and see a part of my daily life that they never really encounter,” Wang said.
Generations of families find involvement with Greenhill through this day. The tradition is shared between alumni, current students, family members and more.
“I just found [a picture in the yearbook of] an alumni board member from when she was in Upper School and her grandparents came. This year will be the first year that her mom gets to come as a grandparent,” Director of Alumni Relations Katie Young said.
The event creates lasting connections and encourages further engagement, like assisting with the concession stand during sports games, according to Director of Parent Engagement and Community Events Amanda Garman.
In addition to sharing their school community with guests, students also highlight their academic and artistic progress. Through orchestra, band and choir performances as well as interactive class activities, guests can experience students’ learning in a new setting.
“It’s just a couple hours, but it’s one of my favorite times because everybody’s really excited to be here and to get to show [their grandparents and special friends] what goes on at school,” Garman said.
Sophomore Olivia Rosenfeldt, a consistent participant of Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day throughout Lower School, explained how important it was for her family to spend the day with her through this event.
“You get to feel the same level of excitement that your kids feel every day at school,” Rosenfeldt said.
