What an incredible week! Hats off to the entire SDS community for a job well done. Homecoming is a time of tradition, competition, and fun that brings students, alums, faculty, and staff together to celebrate the life and history of the Day School.

Upper school students have been planning, banner painting, scriptwriting, filming, and editing for weeks. Teamwork and creativity joined forces on Thursday night as each grade level constructed their movie-themed halls. For twenty-four hours, Presnell becomes a space for our students to create a wonderland for our younger Griffins to enjoy. From Freshmen to Seniors, the hall themes were Teen Beach Movie, Space Jam, Ratatouille, and Hunger Games. As you can see from the images below, lots of time and energy went into creating fun, memorable experiences for Griffins of all ages. On the surface, Hall Night seems like four hours of fun. While there is much enjoyment in the evening, the occasion provides lessons in advanced planning, budgeting, conflict resolution, leadership, execution, and collaboration. It does an educator's heart good to see students pull off such a large-scale project and be proud of the outcome. Witnessing the excitement of Lower School students as they view the halls on Friday is a huge bonus! Below, you'll see banner pictures followed by a random selection of candids, including shots from our spirit dress-up days. Rhyme Without a Reason was my favorite!

Please join us tonight as our teams compete against SCA. The fun will continue as we invite alums back to campus and cheer on our Griffin athletes! Upper School closes out Homecoming week with a dance in Dent on Saturday night from 8:00 - 10:00.

Several Upper School students will participate in the Ethics Bowl competition this weekend. Led by Dr. Tim Fisher and Bobbie Jean Shepard, our students will compete against thirteen schools from across the state. You can read more about the event here. Good luck, Griffins! Dr. Duncan's SAT prep continues on Sunday, 1/21, from 1-3 in the Seminar room. 

Next week promises to be reasonably quiet. Continue to check the calendar for updates. A few key things to note are listed below.