Students in the Lower School enjoyed the opportunity to show what makes Ravenscroft a special school community on Tuesday, Nov. 26, as they held Grandparents and Special Friends Day.

With the Thanksgiving Break just hours away and many families beginning to gather together, these special guests came to Warner Arena for a short program. Head of School Derrick Willard welcomed everyone in attendance, and Zach Peters ’33 led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

Zach’s grandfather Robert Vail — who with his wife, Ellen, is a frequent volunteer on campus — then shared an opening reflection. The couple, who have three grandchildren in the Lower School, often help out often during lunch and carpool as well as in classrooms, supporting Kindergarteners and their teachers in Big Centers and serving as mystery readers. 

Vail spoke about the delights of being grandparents and why it’s so special to their family that they are able to volunteer. “I’ve had the joy of watching my grandkids grow and thrive in this wonderful school, and I’ve come to realize that being involved in their education is one of the greatest gifts I can give — both to them and to the school community,” he said. 

Attendees then enjoyed musical performances, directed by the outstanding Lower School music and strings faculty:

• PreK and Kindergarten: “All I Really Need”          
• First and Second Grades: “It’s a Brand-New Beautiful Day”
• Lower School Orchestra: “Mythos” 
• Third and Fourth Grades: “Music is Always There”
• Fifth Grade: “Count on Me”

Head of Lower School Jennifer Baccus shared a reflection about the resilience and kindness she sees in Lower School students. Describing her own experiences in a lower-grades spelling bee, she noted how impressed she was by the composure of students in the third through fifth grades’ spelling bee earlier in the month — and how proud she was to see how the event’s last two competitors were excited for and supportive of one another.

“We hope that all of our students are developing a growth mindset and learning to embrace challenges rather than avoid them,” she said in conclusion. “As grandparents and special friends for these amazing children behind me, I encourage you to take some time this week to ask them about a time that they have had to be resilient at school this year. Maybe they have had a disagreement with a friend or maybe they have been working on learning to multiply two-digit numbers. Ask them how they handled it when things got hard for them, and share your own stories of resilience.”  

At the close of the program, many students proudly escorted their guests back to their classrooms, where they showed them samples of their work and introduced them to their teachers and friends.