Ravenscroft’s spring community event brought a fun new vibe to campus on Friday, April 19, as students, faculty and staff, and families enjoyed an afternoon of live music, food trucks, lawn games and activity stations. 

The event, Ravenfest, was spearheaded by the Ravenscroft Parents’ Association with support from the Ravenscroft Athletic Club and faculty including Garrett Cummings and Bill Pruden, who helped secure student performers and volunteers from their respective divisions, and P.E. Department co-chair Roxane Roberts, who provided equipment and guidance for the lawn games.

The afternoon offered something for everyone. Young Ravens had fun on the inflatable obstacle course, while their older counterparts enjoyed informal football and basketball games with friends. Face-painting, fairy hair and other stations gave the day a festive atmosphere, and the roaming magician and a giant bubble-maker added some whimsy. Three bands — two student groups, Alex and the Somethings and Criss Cross, and one faculty group — entertained the crowd from a stage set up at LJ’s Place. A DJ kept the music going when performers weren’t on stage.

Special stations were set up with materials for students and families to create posters for visiting Special Olympics athletes on April 24 and thank-you cards and notes for Head of School Doreen Kelly, who steps down from her historic tenure in June.

The planning committee estimated that attendance approached 500 people, as the 400 lanyards they had on hand for attendees to use with their Ravenfest-themed all-access passes were quickly distributed.

Committee members Katie Peters, Emily McIntosh, Asia Austin and Carlton Pulley emphasized what a community-wide effort the event was.

“We had an incredible committee and additional parent volunteers who were integral to the success of the event,” Peters said. “I’d also like to acknowledge all of the planning and hands-on support from the Facilities Department before, during and after the event. They really are incredible and allowed us to pull off such a large-scale event.”

For most parents and guardians, the event was also their first chance to see the newly installed bench, landscaping and stone markers declaring the new Doreen C. Kelly Campus Commons, which was announced by board chair Laura Helton Kalorin ’92 during a special all-school gathering earlier in the day. Parent-group leaders planned Ravenfest in part to coincide with this special announcement to provide families with an in-person opportunity to celebrate Kelly.

In keeping with the day’s spirit, PA co-presidents Tamika Henderson and Jenn Martin made a special presentation in Kelly’s honor: a gift from the PA to the Kelly Family Endowment Fund, established by Kelly and her husband, Chris, in 2015 to support Lead From Here and financial aid in perpetuity. 

“The Parents’ Association was proud to donate $21,000 to the Kelly Family Endowment Fund in honor of Doreen’s incredible 21 years of service to the Ravenscroft community. This contribution symbolizes the PA’s deep appreciation for Doreen’s unwavering commitment to excellence in education and service to our community,” Henderson said. “The contribution to the endowment not only recognizes Doreen’s remarkable legacy but also ensures that her vision for inclusivity and empowerment lives on. In that way, this donation also reaffirms the PA’s dedication to our school community’s mission to support ‘every Raven, every day.’”

Kelly said the event was “awesome! One of the hallmarks of an excellent independent school is having mission-focused and dedicated volunteers who help support the magic in schools each day, and our Parents’ Association, along with the support of [Director of Parent Engagement] Brooke McDaniel, is among the best of the best.   

“I am so deeply humbled and honored to be presented with their generous gift to the Kelly Family Endowment,” she continued. “Our hope, through the endowment, is that generations of children will continue to be supported where there is a financial need and to be encouraged to develop their leadership skill — two important aspects of the endowment. My heart is filled with deep appreciation and gratitude for our PA!”

“Our committee was thrilled to host the first ever Ravenfest event this year and honored that we got to collaborate with school leadership to celebrate Doreen Kelly’s legacy at Ravenscroft,” Peters concluded. “Many months of planning went into making this a fun event for students of all ages, and it was a great way to showcase some of the many talented students and staff in our community.”