Celebrating as a Community

April is a busy time at Shorecrest! We recently hosted our second International Festival which was a huge success. There were over thirty colorful booths staffed by parents, grandparents and friends. The culture, artifacts and food of so many different nations permeated the campus, and brought our diverse community together with pride. One Upper School parent said that her son came home brimming with excitement, raving about the activities and food, and “this is a boy who never tells us anything about what’s going on at school!”

Based on a 2019 family survey, over 65 different countries are represented by Shorecrest families, faculty and staff – with many more having joined since then. Following the success of the International Festival, Roderick Fludd, Director of Diversity, is in the process of refreshing our international recognition -- through flags located in the Lower and Middle School breezeways -- with a community-wide survey for families to identify the countries that they represent. Please take the time to return this survey so that your family’s background can be recognized and honored. 

Today was our 37th Grandparents & Special Friends Day, taking place after a two-year hiatus. It was a joyous day and yet another event which brought our community back together in person. We welcomed over 400 guests to campus for a morning of music, student performances and classroom visits. I know that the students were excited to have their loved ones here. They performed in front of Chargers Commons, and then went back in their classrooms. Joined by their grandparents and special friends, students eagerly discussed what they were learning and talked about their projects. Our Chargers proudly introduced teachers and friends to their visitors and clearly enjoyed showing off Shorecrest to their loved ones. Please look for photos of Grandparents and Special Friends Day in next week’s Ebytes. 

Today also marks the end of our week-long Celebrate the Arts festivities. Observed throughout the campus with a myriad of events, we have had visiting artists sing, drum and read to our students, and involve the students in many hands-on creative arts activities. The Visual Arts faculty have hung new student exhibits in many spaces throughout campus.

Last night, the Upper School Spring Musical “Sweeney Todd” premiered to a packed house and was a resounding success! I thoroughly enjoyed the musical and am in awe of the talent our students displayed. I hope many of you have a chance to see this incredible performance. 

All the best, 

Nancy