Around Park

FALL PLAY

Students performed A Wrinkle in Time on November 18, 19 & 20—an otherworldly production unlike anything Park has seen! The large ensemble portrayed different creatures and formed the scenery and props.

GRANDPARENTS’ AND S PECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY

We were thrilled to welcome our students’ grandparents and special friends back to campus in November for a morning of classroom visits, exploring Park’s new learning spaces, a Lower Division informance,and sharing Park spirit.

FALL, WINTER, AND SPRING SPORTS TEAMS

In the fall, our athletes enjoyed practicing and playing games on our newest athletic addition: the Turf Field! The winter season wrapped with the Student vs. Faculty & Coaches games, where the girls’ varsity basketball team had an incredible come-from-behind one-point victory over the Faculty & Coaches. Although the weather for the spring season was challenging, there was tremendous positivity, flexibility, and camaraderie among students, and they were excited for the first-ever season of ultimate frisbee!

YULE FESTIVAL

The PreK–8 community gathered for a joyous celebration of student performance and festive community singalong! With the opportunity to return to an indoor event this year, we blended familiar traditions with the simplicity, sincerity, and spirit we enjoyed in the previous year’s event.

GRADE 4 & GRADES 5/6 WI NTER ENSEMBLE CONCERTS

We showcased our music program in January by introducing winter ensemble concerts. The evenings were an intimate celebration of learning for performers, their families, and peers. We are excited to use music to contribute to a strong culture of teamwork and collaboration at Park!

ELECTIVES SHOWCASE

In February, students in grades 6–8 exhibited artwork made in their electives classes and held music and drama performances. Parents and fellow classmates were invited to see what the group had been working on since September!

D.C. TRIP

In March, Grade 7 students traveled to Washington, a capstone experience for their social studies curriculum. Their itinerary took them from museums to monuments and more. As one wise student observed, the trip was as much a lesson in independence as in American government and history.

MAY DAY

On May 5, our PreK–8 community celebrated May Day to start the day. Each grade planted a tree after an inaugural morning of cross-grade partner campus service! Grade 3 performed May Pole and stick dances, and the entire student body joined together in song to welcome spring.

INTERNATIONAL TRIPS

Grade 8 students traveled internationally in May—to France, Italy, and Spain—an important capstone experience culminating their Park language studies.

A NEW SPRING TRADITION

On May 5, 2023, the Park community celebrated May Day in a new way! The Grade 3 presentation of their long-practiced May Day dances went on, consistent with Park tradition, but this year, the day began with a community-wide Day of Service.

With rakes and gloves and shovels and bags, Park students dove into a big campus clean up project. Paired in cross-grade partnerships (for example, our Grade 4 students guided PreK students in their work, while Grade 8 students partnered with Grade 3), every student had a hand—or two, in Park-branded work gloves!—in getting campus ready for springtime. They pulled and bagged invasive garlic mustard weeds, they planted flowers, repaired rock gardens, raked wood chips, and collected and piled sticks and branches. Then, each grade gathered to plant a new tree on Park’s campus!

Coming together to watch the May Day dances, everyone joined in a community singalong—accompanied by the student ukulele band, and by Head of School Scott Young on guitar!

Park students will have a lasting, growing impact on campus as this tradition moves forward. Just think of it: by the time Park’s current PreK students complete Grade 8, they will have planted 10 trees! And across those 10 years, Park students will collectively plant 100 trees.