On October 27 and 28 Dana Hall’s Upper School will be in the middle of an exciting event, Family Weekend, a weekend where families of all students visit the school, shadow their children, and later attend various sports games and activities.
“It’s really fun to have fans in the classes so that they can see what happens in the classrooms,” Ms. Keimowitz recalls, referring to the parents as the kids’ greatest fans, when asked about her highlights of Family Weekend. However, there is more to the two-day long event than just learning in classrooms.
Before the fun, students get to show their parents what their typical school day is like on Friday and Saturday morning. “It allows the parents to see for themselves what the student might be telling [and] it allows us to show them what is happening into the classroom,” Ms. Keimowitz says when asked about the benefits of the parents shadowing the teachers. She also says that it is like “a window into the student’s life.”
Mr. Suby is the director of athletics at Dana, and he has a big role in organizing Family Weekend. “That night field hockey and soccer will be under the lights,” he says with a smile, “Everybody gets psyched for the Newton Country Day rivalry especially when there’s friends and family”. Mr. Suby and Ms. Keimowitz are both enthusiastic about their favorite parts, each different. Although there are many different places to be at once, there is one event that brings the entire community together.
Convocation is a time when everyone gets together for a time of singing and lots of fun. “We have 1000 people at convocation. That includes students, ” Ms Keimowitz says with pride. Convocation includes the pep rally where people come together for some fun and games and celebrate the sports teams.
On Friday and Saturday night, the Varsity and JV sports teams play a game to show their skills to their families. “We moved the varsities to Friday. That actually helps both teams because JV gets more fans [more than they would if Varsity games were on the same day],” Mr.Suby says. Friday and Saturday afternoon are really fun times for families for more reasons than just the games.
The most eventful weekend wouldn’t be momentous without the rush of homecoming. Packed with food trucks and games, homecoming is a time that won’t be missed. As posted on the Dana Hall website, “Whether your daughter plays a sport or not, Homecoming Weekend is for everyone.”
Image source: Dana Hall Instagram @danahallschool
