A Grand Special Day

Last week, my wife Margo and I were truly honored to participate in the Lower School’s annual Grand Special Day tradition. For more than 20 years, Darlington has welcomed guests to the Lower School campus on this special day to visit classrooms, learn more about our program and – most importantly – to spend time with their young loved ones. For those of you who have not experienced it, this event is a sight to be seen and a strong testament to the caliber of the students and faculty we have here at Darlington.

This year, Margo was invited as a special guest by current fourth-grader Addie Holmes. We were among the 600 grandparents, parents and friends in attendance. After visiting classrooms and chatting with teachers, everyone gathered in the gym for the Lower School Spring Concert, “Top O’ the Music to You.” Every seat was filled as we listened to our students perform with the chorus, string ensemble and orchestra. As an added bonus, first- and second-graders also demonstrated their skills in playing Orff instruments, and fourth-grader Zane Anderson entertained the guests with a guitar solo. Our guests beamed with pride as they watched their loved ones on stage. After the concert, everyone enjoyed refreshments and admired the student artwork displayed throughout the gym. All in all, it was a splendid occasion, and the parents and faculty members who worked so hard to organize it deserve a grand special thank you! I was moved by the enthusiasm and genuine care that our grandparents showed not just for their grandchildren, but for Darlington, and I want to find more opportunities to get them involved.

Though this year’s attendance was certainly one for the record books, it is my hope that we can expand this event even further in future years to include all three divisions. I envision a day where we welcome 800+ grandparents to experience all that we have to offer at our Middle and Upper Schools as well. A grandparent who has grandchildren at multiple divisions can watch their student perform with the Lower School Chorus and then head over to the Upper School to listen to the orchestra or catch a baseball game. Or perhaps students from all three divisions can join together to present a concert for our visitors in the new Middle School amphitheater or the Huffman Center’s spacious Van Es Arena.

Here at Darlington, we are constantly looking for ways to improve and expand our programs – even long-standing traditions like Grand Special Day. We hope you will join us as we explore new opportunities to celebrate our wonderful students and faculty members. They certainly deserve it!      

Tom