A recent WCDS assembly included the 4th grade’s presentation of “snapshots” of their living wax museum, an annual class project on historical figures. Students stood on the stage in costume, each holding a sign specifying the explorer that he or she was portraying. Then they stepped forward individually to recite an original poem describing their chosen character. Later in the day, classes and adults visited the living wax museum in the auditorium, where they pressed a “button” (red sticker) on each “statue” and heard an in depth description of the explorer and his or her exploits. The students stayed in character with costume and props and displayed in-depth knowledge of the explorers they had selected.

April 20 — During the month of April, Wakefield Country Day School hosted thirteen 6th grade students from the Westhill Institute in Mexico City. This is the third visit by Westhill students to Wakefield, and the visitors again stayed with various WCDS families. Throughout the week, they spent time learning more not only about the school, but also about Rappahannock County, the state of Virginia, and the United States in general. Ezequiel Elias, at WCDS from Westhill for a semester exchange in grade ten, assisted as tour guide.

The visit began with a field trip to Washington, D.C., where students visited some of the museums and beautiful monuments in our nation’s capitol. Friday, the visitors spent the day in classes, participating in instructional activities with the 5th and 6th grade students. Friday evening, WCDS entertained the Westhill students at a middle school dance. Student government leaders provided balloons, refreshments, and decorations and in recapping their visit the Westhill students frequently mentioned the dance as one of the highlights of their trip. Saturday several of the visitors joined WCDS families for Family Fun Night, with parents and children shooting baskets, running races, and playing board games, as well as feasting on the potluck spread of delicious food. On Sunday, the Westhill visitors and their host families took a school bus to Massanutten’s indoor water park, where friendships developed and grew.

The Mexican visitors toured Luray Caverns, visited the Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, and they wrapped up their visit at a weekly assembly with individual speeches. They took turns describing the highlights of their stay, expressing gratitude to their host families and commenting on what they had learned, e.g. “A father can cook dinner,” “Virginia is so green and beautiful,” “The people here are so nice and friendly,” “The homes have so much land around them, and “The air is so clean.” One student said, “When two cultures come together, not only do you learn from each other, but you also teach each other.” The students spoke impressively, particularly considering the fact that English is not the first language for most of them. WCDS students look forward to their next visit to Mexico as a part of this continuing partnership.

April 28 — Wakefield Country Day School enjoyed “Sante Fe Spring” at the annual spring auction where, according to Head of School Kathleen Grove, “Thanks to a marvelous auction committee chaired by WCDS parents Jennifer Phillippe and Alison Seaborn, parents, teachers, staff, and friends of Wakefield Country Day School gathered for good food, good fellowship, and good fund-raising for the school.” The bidding, silent and live, set new records, with marvelous items to “win” while contributing to the school, and over $38,000 was raised for the WCDS 2007/2008 Scholarship program. A note of “thanks” to the many businesses, vendors and individuals from Rappahannock County who so generously donated items and services for this event.

Grandparents Visit WCDS

On April 25th, approximately eighty grandparents visited WCDS, spending the day enjoying a variety of activities. The visit began with a breakfast, followed by a briefing by Head of School Kathleen Grove, who described the WCDS mission statement and how it is manifested in the daily life of the school. After a few questions from the audience, students began to enter the auditorium for the Wednesday assembly. Following a special invocation in honor of families and the Pledge of Allegiance, students in grades one through fourth took the stage to sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” With their young voices raised, their eyes on the flag, and their hands over their hearts, they presented a touching sight. The students then sang “An Old Irish Blessing” especially for the visitors. The preschool, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten classes enthusiastically performed “You Are My Sunshine” and “Skinarmarink,” complete with sign language for the latter, concluding with “I love you.” The second grade presented the fable “The Ants and the Grasshopper” along with an original acrostic poem in honor of Grandparents Day. The third grade students recited their original verses about their grandparents. Two representatives from the fourth grade class announced the planting of a tree at WCDS in honor of all grandfathers and most especially the recently departed grandfather of Harper and Lucy Van Ness. Not to let the lower school dominate the program, grade nine students, wearing classic Greek masks, performed a scene from Antigone, Of course, all performances received enthusiastic applause and even cheers. Grandparents then accompanied their grandchildren to class, had their pictures taken in the courtyard, and lunched with their grandchildren.