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Grades 9 and 12 Enjoy Spirited Kickoff Gatherings

Reni Ellis, Amanda George, and Lauren Hoyt were all smiles at the senior kickoff dinner.

Seniors and Parents Welcome the Year at Annual Dinner:
The annual Senior Parent/Student Dinner always serves as an informal kickoff to the year, allowing students and their parents a chance to gather together and celebrate their last hurrah at BB&N. As the seniors and their parents feasted at this year’s dinner, various teachers and administrators took the podium to spur on the class and allay any early jitters they might have about their final campaign at the School.

Head of School Rebecca T. Upham opened the evening with an interesting fact, underscoring the type of community that BB&N fosters.

“Almost one third of you have been here since the Lower School,” Upham said drawing cheers from the audience. “The heart of the School would not be what it is without the students, particularly the class of 2008 which has already given so much to this community through the past few years.”

Upper School Director Jack Knapp captured his excitement appropriately when he said: “This is the easiest job a speaker ever had, to praise the class of 2008.” Knapp also noted the energy he has noticed in the class, and throughout the corridors of the newly named Rennaissance Hall, before turning the proceedings over to the real stars of the evening, the students.

Co-chairs for the Senior class gift committee, Eric Schwartz ’08 and Carly Schuster ’08, spoke to their classmates, explaining the importance of the class gift and urging 100 percent participation from everyone.

“It’s not the amount you give, but the fact that you’re giving at all that matters,” said Schwartz.

Closing out the evening was Upper School History Teacher Louise Makrauer who encouraged Seniors to look past the pressures of college applications, and their last year at BB&N.

“This is a year of self-definition created by college essays and yearbook pages...and there can be a sense that this self you create will be judged,” said Makrauer. “But it will work out, and you will survive.”

Ninth Grade Parents Welcomed to Upper School Community:
While their children were away at Bivouac, ninth grade parents enjoyed cupcakes and other desserts as a welcome to BB&N’s Upper School. Many parents were eager to share stories and enjoyed a slide show of their children in the midst of their two-week adventure at Bivouac, as a live singer provided the prefect background music with festive South American tunes.

Head of School Rebecca T. Upham welcomed parents as new members of the Upper School, adding that the evening was intended to be a place for “getting together to have some desserts and have some fun with other adults” while students were away.

After observing ninth graders in action earlier that week, Upper School Director Jack Knapp assured parents that “everybody was just fine,” and gave them advice about what to expect when their children step off the bus to return home.

“They want, in order of importance: 1. the shower and a warm towel; 2. their bed; and 3. their favorite meal,” he said. “They also want you to feel proud of what they have accomplished—that’s the greatest gift you can give them.”