Community Day Celebrates Students, Faculty and Staff
Browning's annual Community Day continued to celebrate the School's community members as they approached the holiday season and winter break. Julia Kingsdale, a member of the Community Day Planning Committee, provided the following report on the day's activities, which, as she noted, were met with great enthusiasm: "We heard from the Upper School boys about the service projects they have been leading; Lower School students showed their appreciation for the faculty and staff who make our school run; Middle Schoolers put up a fantastic display of posters celebrating Browning's very own superheroes; and we ended the day with what may be the most epic Rocks Paper Scissors tournament in the history of independent schools. And these are just a few of the day's achievements!"
Megan Ryan, a fellow committee member, was pleased to report on the boys' project to benefit Bottomless Closet: "The community collected over 10 boxes of clothes and feminine hygiene products for this organization," she explained, "and Carol Costello, their volunteer coordinator, addressed the Upper School boys on Community Day about the goals of this group. Each form of the Upper School engaged in its own mini service project, from sorting clothes for Bottomless Closet to working on recycling issues here at Browning." For more information on Bottomless Closet, check out specific information about what they do and whom they serve.
Ms. Ryan added that another highlight of Community Day involved the interdivisional Buddies Program in which older boys were paired with younger boys. Together they read and discussed "I Walk With Vanessa," a book that reminds us of the importance of welcoming new friends and of being an ally when we see someone who is being bullied or needs a friend.
Ms. Kingsdale said, "This day never could have happened without all of our individual community members, as well as my fellow Planning Committee members, including Caitlin Coleman, Dan Ragsdale, Megan Ryan, Meghan McDermott and Melodie Ting, who generously volunteered their time to plan every detail of this day. We also extend an enormous thank you to Dana-Marie Moore, our dining hall director, who was an indispensable partner in making sure every student and adult was happy and well-fed, and who personally hand-delivered every student's snacks for the day. Our enormous gratitude is also due to our maintenance and kitchen staffs, who worked tirelessly to accommodate our many requests. Finally, we thank Head of School John Botti and our division heads, Laurie Gruhn (Lower School), Danielle Passno (Middle School) and Gene Campbell (Upper School) for their support and participation today."
Mr. Botti noted, " Ms. Kingsdale said it better than I could have, so I will rightly let her have the last word on gratitude to our selfless faculty. But, please, let me herald the work of each Community Day Planning Committee member, who is named above, for their initiative, sacrifice and leadership. The economy of my words stands in inverse proportion to my sense of debt to them—and to all of you."
