On Friday, Oct. 11, the Kingswood Oxford Upper School celebrated its revered annual Grandparents and Grandfriends Day, this year sharing the day with another annual tradition at KO: Hewett Day. As a result, grandparents and grandfriends got to enjoy seeing their students in both classroom and athletic environments.
The day started with an assembly so grandparents and grandfriends could learn different aspects about KO and about our school community. To begin, Head of School Tom Dillow welcomed all the visitors to KO. Mr. Dillow encapsulated the role that grandparents and grandfriends play in the lives of the students. “It takes more than just a school or families at home,” Mr. Dillow said. “We strongly believe in a partnership between the school, our students, our families, and you all, of course, are a very important part of it.”
Then, Mr. Dillow updated the visitors about the construction happening on campus: the KO Community Commons. He showed pictures of the current construction updates and renderings of what the building will look like once complete. Unlike previous years, due to the construction, students were unable to share lunch with their guests this year. However, Mr. Dillow shared his hope for all the grandparents and grandfriends to visit next year to share lunch in the new dining hall.
Next, Mr. Dillow introduced the emcees for the assembly, senior Joella Asapokhai and junior Teague Shamleffer. Joella shared her excitement about the day. “It’s a day to celebrate not only our school’s history, but also our values of excellence, friendship, and mutual support,” she said. Teague then introduced a game for the students and their guests. As a team, they attempted to name two newer objects and two older, more classic objects in order to win a piece of KO swag.
After the game, KO’s all-boys acapella group, Crimson 7, and all-girls acapella group, Oxfordians, joined together on stage to sing “Good Ol’ Acapella.” Senior Yzzy Albert then shared a heartfelt speech, reflecting on the day and the role her grandparents play in her life. “We are so fortunate to have you, to have your wisdom and love in our lives, and we are grateful that you are with us here today,” Yzzy said.
The assembly then wrapped up, with students bringing their visitors to their advisory groups. There, students and guests shared a breakfast together and guests got to meet the student’s advisor.
Subsequently, grandparents and grandfriends visited two classes, giving them a glimpse into classes at KO. If students had a free period, they and their grandparents or grandfriends had lots of options to learn more about KO: they could take a campus tour, visit the school store, have a photo taken in front of Alumni Hall, or meet faculty members in Lower Roberts.
After this, grandparents and grandfriends departed for the school day. However, as a first this year, they could watch athletic events for Hewett Day in the afternoon and cheer on KO.
Once again, Grandparents and Grandfriends day was a success and proves to be one of the most special days on campus each year.
