After canceling in-person events for so long, it feels wonderful to gather and connect in person. This year, a new event was created to honor the parents of our senior class. The informal evening with beverages and passed hors d’oeuvres allowed the Class of 2023 parents to hear from Head of School Jay Rainey and one of their own, in addition to connecting and reconnecting with each other. The Hermann Courtyard was filled with lively conversation, reminiscing, and laughter, a perfect way to start a milestone year in their journey at MICDS.
The Courtyard was filled with photos designed to spark memories. In addition to a large image of the official senior class photo, parents were able to see Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten class photos and their children’s seventh-grade advisory photos. A giant “Welcome Senior Parents” banner sported the signatures of our seniors.
Rainey welcomed the guests and thanked them for coming. He referenced the photo boards, a fun riff on the “How It Started and How It’s Going” memes popular online, and he spoke about how the Class of 2023 is a special group of curious, smart, kind, and community-minded young people. We are proud to have them serve as leaders in our Upper School community this year.
He also empathized about the emotional and joyful roller coaster that is the senior year of high school and shared a poem, Tuition Costs by Victor Depta, about the bittersweet journey of tending to the growth and release of our children into the world. The partnership with parents is crucial as our faculty and staff guide these students through college applications, big decisions, and the fun that comes with being a senior, from the Homecoming bonfire to the senior boat races. He then introduced Julie Ralph, whose son Philip is in the Class of 2023.
Ralph, a member of the Senior Parent Gift Committee, delivered heartfelt remarks reflecting on her youngest child’s final year at MICDS. She shared a touching moment about how that very morning, she scrolled through the Class of 2023 online directory and looked at all the faces of the students she has watched grow up over the years and invited other senior parents to do the same. She spoke briefly about the long-standing tradition of senior family support for the MICDS Fund, and encouraged her fellow Class of 2023 parents to achieve 100% participation this year. She concluded with a toast to a fantastic year for this inspiring class.
Here’s to a year of wonderful memories that will last a lifetime!