The Spring Celebration held on the Campus Green Friday, April 29, brought Ravenscroft families back to campus for the first major community-wide event since the COVID-19 pandemic started more than two years ago. With attendance estimated at around 600 people, the afternoon event — with food trucks, music, games and activities, giant inflatables and a selfie station run by alumna entrepreneur Arica Scott ’20 — was a big success, showing that the community spirit of Ravenscroft is alive and well.

The festival committee co-chairs, parents Yori Lucien and Amy Barger, agreed that the undertaking felt particularly significant, coming as it did on the heels of the school’s lifting pandemic restrictions around large gatherings.

“When I was asked to serve on the first-ever Spring Festival committee, I was apprehensive about taking on such a big event. I served on the Fall Round-Up committee a couple of years ago, but that blueprint was already in place,” Lucien said. “We knew we wanted to make a big statement with this event. My goal was to create an event that all students and parents could truly enjoy.” 

Lucien, Barger and their fellow committee members — parents Tamara Hayes, Amelia Warner, Leah Kelly, Louise Conroy and Josefina Hanna — went all-out for fun. The Campus Green was transformed into an adventure park dotted with inflatables including the Super Atomic Rush obstacle course, a Wrecking Ball bounce house, and basketball and soccer shoot-out games. Paint Savvy brought stations offering fairy hair, glitter tattoos, and henna art; and caricature artists and a balloon twister added to the fun. Beloved former Lower School science teacher Patrick Knox set up a table where students could make “magic” bubbles, and Scott’s “You Love Selfies Museum” intrigued and engaged even the older students in attendance.

The event had its own soundtrack, too, thanks to live music by Adam Pitts and spinning by Bunn DJ. Food from Kona Ice, Goodberry’s, Great American Food Truck and Kono Pizza made sure no one went hungry during all that fun.

In addition, every student was provided with a Spring Festival T-shirt sporting an original design by Eighth-Grade Art student Samantha Brock ’26. School leaders encouraged students to wear their T-shirts or other Ravenscroft spirit wear to school Friday as a special spring Spirit Day, leading to a sea of green fanning across the Campus Green as activities got underway.

Families who have newly enrolled for next year were included in the fun as well. For the Admissions team, welcoming them to campus in this way was exciting.

“One of the most rewarding parts of the admissions process for our team is getting to introduce newly enrolled families to our current community members. It is so important to help foster strong relationships right from the start, and we have really missed being able to do that in person for the past couple of years,” Associate Director of Enrollment Management Jennifer Baccus said. “The Spring Festival was the perfect opportunity for us to show our new families how amazing it is to be a Raven, and the energy was contagious. Who wouldn’t want to be a new Raven after all of that food, fellowship and fun?”

In the end, the months of planning and effort were all worth it, Barger said, sending a special shout-out to committee members and other parents and staff members who helped them pull it off. 

“The hours of meetings, T-shirt sorting, budgeting, vendor calling, clean-up — it really took a village!” she said. “Parent Group Manager Brooke McDaniel heard from us daily and helped us navigate administration. PA co-presidents Aeri Meyers and Felicia Hughey helped with everything from logistics to literally transporting balloons and placing tablecloths. Tamara Hayes worked with Bill Pruden and Aaron Sundstrom in the Upper School to coordinate student volunteers. Josefina Hanna did everything from designing the posters to assembling the balloon arch. The PA’s Parker Wright and Audrey Pacca also went out of their way to accommodate us.”

“During the event, I stopped and looked at all the happy faces. I saw the excitement of families reuniting, and a sense of joy came over me,” Lucien concluded. “I am proud that I had a part in this joyous event and that my children were able to see the event that I was working on so hard on come to life.”

Thanks to Director of Facilities Chris Farrow for the drone photos and to Madison Anysz ’23 for the slide photo. Enjoy more photos in our Flickr album!