Grandfriends Day Celebration 2022

On November 23, the day before Thanksgiving, grandparents and special friends were welcomed to campus for the annual Grandfriends Day celebration. Shore was buzzing with excitement as these special visitors were able to join us for this beloved tradition on campus for the first time since 2019. 
 
Over 200 grandparents and special friends registered to attend, and upon arrival they enjoyed refreshments and meeting other guests and faculty. Grandfriends were then invited to join Clair Ward, Head of School, in the Trustey Family Theatre, where they were officially welcomed. 
 
Ward spoke about the importance of an education that is focused on “a child’s understanding, and not just their ability to recall.” She asked guests to think back to their own education, which frequently involved memorization, and then provided a window into a Shore education. “At Shore we are concerned not only with what children learn, but how they learn.” She emphasized that adults at Shore work in partnership with the children to teach them the power of self-regulation, self-advocacy, and ethical purpose, empowering them to express their authentic voices. Ward thanked grandparents and special friends for their partnership, helping to model the important connection between home and school.
 
Sixth-grade poets Isabella Hamel, Brennan Hinrichsen, Jesselle Landen, Harry Crane, and Cook Spies then took the stage to recite heartwarming poems of gratitude that they had written. Following their recitations, grandfriends were treated to a new video featuring students from a range of grades sharing their stories. A series of student performances closed out the program. First, violinist Maia Schor and pianist Zane Eskandar performed a duet, followed by third and fourth grade singers as well as a performance by the marimba ensemble. The musical performance was directed by music teachers Alex Asacker and Jennifer Boyum, as well as Joey Tedesco.
 
The recorded live stream of the theater program can be viewed using this link.
 
Grandparents and special friends then joined their children in Upper and Lower School classrooms for three thirty-minute class sessions. They spent time together playing games, participating in lessons, gathering around Harkness tables for discussions, drawing in the art room, building structures in the science room, playing on the playground, and learning all about a child’s experience at Shore.
 
To conclude the day, smiling grandfriends were treated to an outdoor encore marimba ensemble performance as they left Shore’s campus. 
 
We’re so grateful for the support from Shore’s community of grandparents and special friends!
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Shore Country Day School

545 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915
(978) 927-1700
Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships, and loans, and its educational, athletic, and other programs.