After students finally got out of period 7 — the last class of the day, they breathed a sigh of relief as they all hustled to embrace their loved ones and gather in the gym for the cherished celebration. On Friday, November 21st, Bishop’s hosted its annual Thanksgiving Day Chapel on Grandparents’ Day. This day embodies the essence of family importance and the impact our grandparents have on our lives, which we, in turn, can thank them for.
Head of School Mr. Ron Kim started off the Chapel by welcoming the gym packed with eager grandparents and students thankful to share this afternoon with their loved ones. Everyone listened to the opening hymn, “Hope Lingers Here.” Throughout the entire chapel, the Bishop’s Singers, directed by Dr. Christine Micu, led the hymns, both opening and closing. The orchestra, directed by Mr. Robert Anderson accompanied them by playing music that added dimension to the songs.
Three sixth graders, who wrote “Where I am From” poems, shared them with the school. One of the three sixth graders was Annabelle Gratry (‘32). She reflected on how her grandparents support her and shape her as a person. Alexander Rodriguez Bader (‘32) also read his poem to the crowd. He traced significant moments and parts of his identity, like movie nights, and connecting with his Jewish background. The last sixth grade speaker, George Tan (‘31), touched upon our founder, Ellen Browning Scripps, and her goal of honoring the good in everybody. In his speech, George also tied in one of Bishop’s main principles, justice — the belief that we should all work towards justice for all people.
Heartwarming moments soon followed, as three seniors relayed their experiences with service. Austin Hill (‘26) spoke about his project, Building Baja, which strives to help others by building houses for those in need in Tijuana. He recalled a rewarding moment from his project: building a durable home for a man who had lost his children due to illness and the inability to pay for healthcare.
Jake Kim (‘26) expressed his passion for a game called “Go”, which holds a special place in his heart, along with his late instructor, who taught him how to play while living in Korea. He ended with the message of following your passion.
Gabby Gallus (‘26) shared her personal story and perspective of serving with the ECS Headstart Program. She expressed her gratitude to English Teacher Ms. Kara Crawford for the role she has had in her life and as a mentor.
Then, The Reverend Nicole Simopoulous-Pigato emerged to the podium to introduce Moana Peterson (‘26), who shared her vulnerability through relaying her family’s situation and her experience growing up, having spent time in foster care and her mom struggling with addiction. Her sentiments embodied the importance of gratitude and resilience in the face of hardship, and how, even though things may not go your way, you will find your place.
This year, Bishop’s decided to remove the traditional Thanksgiving lunch on the quad with grandparents due to “the recent rain and continued rain in the forecast this week,” according to Mr. Ron Kim, in an all school email sent on November 17, 4 days before the event. There were various reactions to this change. Student Ryder Sherman (‘28), said, “I felt like even without the lunch, we were still able to leave with the same sense of community and gratitude. I felt like the same impact was left as usual, and my grandparents felt the same as well.”
However, some students felt as though they, and their grandparents, were missing out on lunch. Julia Schnabl (‘28) is a student who has a different perspective from Ryder’s as both sets of her grandparents live in Germany. Some years they make the trip to come for Grandparent’s Day but this year, they didn’t. Julia mentioned how she was relieved they didn’t with there being no lunch. She said, “Honestly, even though I am sad they couldn’t come, I am grateful they didn’t make the incredibly long trip. I know how much they love the lunch because they are able to see all the students and faculty out on the quad, and with there being no lunch I think they would’ve ultimately been disappointed.”
Although students have differing opinions, this tradition at Bishop’s connects hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds and focuses on one prominent message: connection and gratitude. Mr. Kamal Assaf, 8th grade History Teacher and a Bishop’s alum of the Class of 1988, shared his thoughts on the importance of how Grandparent’s Day connects all, “I think [Grandparents’ Day] is underrated because there are so many connections to multiple generations. The speeches were beautiful, and they connected how diverse people are, and how you can have so many different ethnicities and backgrounds sitting in one room, connecting with each other.” Mr. Assaf expressed his appreciation for the day as it brought together a community of people who each conduct very different lives filled with different upbringings. He added, “I just love how there was so much connection to not just the students’ parents, but their grandparents, too.”
Grandparents of Nicholas Said (‘32), remarked on the impact Grandparents Day left on them, saying, “I think it’s a very wonderful tradition. I love spending time with my grandson and witnessing his school life, and the community’s close-knit relationship was obvious.”
In the end, as Mr. Assaf put it, “You realize quickly how smart and accomplished grandparents are. So many of our grandparents have seen and done things that are remarkable.”
