Over 400 grandparents and special guests gathered for morning refreshments in the Lower School Student Activity Center (LSSAC) on Tuesday, November 24, 2015, to celebrate the Fourteenth Annual Grandparents Day.
Jeannie Brostrand, Lower School principal, opened the day’s event, and Headmaster Kevin Bracher extended a warm welcome as well, expressing thanks to each grandparent for being a vital part of their grandchildren’s lives. Bracher shared Whitefield’s commitment to “restore the connection between Christ-centeredness and academic excellence” and thoroughly equip students in all aspects of education.
“A child cannot be thoroughly educated apart from a community. We partner with parents and all of you for the same goals. Your generation understands that it takes a community to educate children, a fact that our current culture does not often understand.”
Bracher also shared his excitement over Whitefield’s growth during the last few years, both in enrollment and campus expansion. He encouraged grandparents to take a look at the school’s master plan on the website, and commit to praying for Whitefield’s future growth.
After Bracher’s address, Lower School Music Teacher Steve Henson led class groups in “All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small,” a presentation, which extoled God’s creative power. The groups sang songs such as Lord of Creation, Woven Together, and Colors of His Love which declared the uniqueness of each individual.
Lower School Art Teachers Natalia Hicks and Rachel Bassing decorated the walls of the LSSAC with children's artwork which matched the theme, providing a bright and beautiful atmosphere for the event.
Grandparents next filed out of the LSSAC to get photos made with their grandchildren and visit
individual classrooms to meet teachers. Each classroom teacher shared about instruction at Whitefield, and students also gave presentations in their classrooms.
“It is always amazing to see how these grandparents are investing in their grandchildren,” said Jeannie Brostrand, Lower School principal. “My heart is full after Grandparents Day because I see how faithful God is, and how He moves in hearts from generation to generation.”
Before leaving campus to begin their holiday, many grandparents and grandchildren visited the Campus Store to purchase spirit wear.
“During this season of Thanksgiving, among the many things I am grateful for is our extended community of grandparents. It was such a pleasure to host them on campus,” said Brostrand. “I am also thankful for over 50 moms and dads who volunteered to participate in one way or another to make this event such a blessed occasion. “