By Jenny Shen ’23
From October 11th to October 15th, all across campus, tables and stations were adorned with delicious pastries, coffee, and lemonade. On top of that, “Go Gunn” tents, “Welcome” signs, and the huge “Welcome Parents” banner hanging from the Dining Hall roof all indicated one thing: it’s Parents’ Weekend 2022.
Prior to the Parents’ Weekend, students in art classes and the Artistry and Technique co-curricular toiled day and night to put on a student gallery show for the parents. These artworks include a wide range of mediums: from photography, painting, collages, printmaking, installations, and then to ceramics. Each piece varies greatly from the other and represents the unique artistic style of the student. Let’s give a shout-out to Alexandra Buckhart, William Cao, Logan Crompton, Peter Cui, Taji Duncan, Anna Gleason, Holli Hay, Maeren Hay, Mairin Hoffman, Thea Howe, Anna Lerner, Tommy Li, Giovana Liu, Sisy Pei, Jenny Shen, Neda Strelciunaite, Bridie Strowe, Aria Trotta, Jade Vu, Chris Wang, Avery Warren, Yoyo Zhang, and Averi Zhong!!!
After the parents arrived on campus, they went on group tours with our student tour guides and joined their children in different classes, co-curricular activities, and art programs, including the fall play rehearsal, yoga at the Boat House, and Jazz Band. In addition, the parents were also welcome to support their children and the community in athletic games such as field hockey and soccer. During the last part of their journey on campus, the parents engaged in critical conversations with the student’s advisor, teachers, and college counselor. Through this weekend, the parents fully understood their students’ academic and daily lives.
After their time on campus, one parent expressed her experience, saying: “This school has done an excellent job of organizing the parents’ weekend activities to give us a great sense of what our students do during the day and what they do on weekends. I’ve toured the campus, I think at this time of the year, it’s beautiful, the fall is gorgeous, and each building presents a different part of the school. I’ve been in the art building and the dining hall, they are beautiful. The conversations with the teachers are going well, it’s nice to hear how my students are doing. It’s a busy day so it’s a lot to get to all your kid’s teachers, but I enjoy learning how they are doing in class.”
