Head of School Letter: Community Events at Shorecrest

Academics are at the heart of Shorecrest Preparatory School, yet there are so many community events that make up the meaningful Shorecrest experience for students and families. Each school division provides interesting activities that enhance the daily lives of our Chargers, above and beyond the classroom experience. 

Recently two musical groups came to campus to perform for our students. Last week a quintet from The Florida Orchestra provided a concert of live symphonic music at the Upper School’s Community Time. Each musician (one of whom was a Shorecrest alumna!) explained how their wind instruments produced sound and why they chose them as their passion. 

This past Monday we were thrilled to host the Yale Whiffenpoofs, the world's oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella singing group, who performed for our Upper School students, eighth graders, and special guests. Performing a range of songs in their signature tailcoat tuxedos, the college students amazed the audience with their musical talent and entertained questions from Shorecrest students. Inspired by the performance, one current ninth grader said, “it would be a dream to someday join the Whiffs, or another similar a cappella group.” Performing arts teacher Michael McCarthy took the opportunity to announce that Upper School Chorus is a new elective class available for interested students next year. 

Many Upper School students participated in an exciting and hard-fought lunchtime dodgeball tournament in recent weeks. Playing in teams formed by Advisory, there was good-natured rivalry as balls flew through the air at Crisp Gym! Others participated in our new “Let’s do Lunch” program where students gathered in the Makerspace for jewelry-making, playing cards or bingo, or making signs for various school teams or activities. 

Our Upper and Middle School Robotics program continues to garner success and victories in competition. The Middle School teams both earned “Golden Tickets” to attend the FIRST LEGO regional tournament, culminating in a first-place finish for robot design out of 36 teams present and an invitation to compete in a summer tournament. The Upper School teams competed last weekend, earning a State Championship for VEX robotics and qualified for the World Championships held this May in Dallas, Texas. Congratulations to our Robotics Teams!

Middle Schoolers have returned from their off-campus trips last week. Lifelong memories were formed as they travelled across the state and the country to experience new adventures and participate in community team building and bonding. I wrote last year about the amazing seventh and eighth grade trips to St. Augustine and Washington, D.C. which you can read about here. In late February, the Middle Schoolers put on their annual Variety Show, an evening when talents of all kinds were expressed on stage. Unlike other schools, there is no judging at our Variety Show: it is simply an evening of fun where students perform for each other, with warm applause and support for each act. 

The Middle School Student Council has been busy planning a number of springtime activities. They organized a Red/Pink out on Friday, February 14, when students could wear uniform bottoms or jeans and pink or red shirts, socks, etc. They also supported the Acorn Club, which sponsored a successful canned food drive for the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. 

The Lower and Experiential Schools have also recently completed their annual Food Drive for The Kind Mouse. This food drive has been a powerful example of our core values in action, where our students work together and understand that their donations contribute to help children in our own local community who do not have the food that they need.

A different kind of creative community experience awaits students in our Experiential and Lower Schools! We are in the midst of experiencing the joys that our resident artists Maxime and Estelle bring from Compagnie de l’Invisible, their French theater company that creates mesmerizing puppetry performances. They have been collaborating with our Alpha, JK, Kindergarten and first grade students to create something very special, working on their puppets with Ms. Auletta (Lower School Art) and Ms. Trayer (Experiential School Studio Teacher) during their art and studio time. On Thursday, March 13, we will celebrate this journey with a joyful parade called The Flights—a vibrant, immersive experience of street theater and creativity, and we invite all parents to join us in this amazing community event. 

Last Friday’s Movie Night was a huge hit, with a special screening of Disney's "Zootopia." Scores of families appreciated the lovely weather as they picnicked on the Gaffney Green and enjoyed the special seating provided by Kane's Furniture. Newly accepted students arrived with their families to be welcomed into the Shorecrest community. Popcorn, lemonade, goodies from food trucks and glow stick necklaces were all the rage. Movie Night continues to be a much-cherished community annual tradition. 

Many other fun events are taking place as well! Last Friday, Lower Schoolers participated in the Lower School Field Day on Haskell Field. The students rotated through a number of stations: obstacle courses, lacrosse ground ball pick up, tire tug-of-war, baton-pass, among others. Some brave parents competed versus faculty members on a final obstacle course event, with both teams demonstrating true grit! It was a beautiful day to be out on our new turf field, together as a community. This week Experiential School classes are holding Family Events, welcoming parents into the classroom to see what their children are doing, reading their work products together, admiring art projects, sharing snacks or having a tea party.  

At Shorecrest we offer our students many opportunities outside of the classroom that enhance their experience at school. There are also a myriad of ways for families to be involved in community events. This strong engagement is part of the Shorecrest culture and what makes our community so special. 

All the best, 

Nancy