Grandmas and grandpas take center stage for a day
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

Photos courtesy of Howard Lee Grandparents' Day at Grace Brethren Elementary School

Grandma and Grandpa riding pint-size tricycles? Much to the delight of grandchildren and teachers alike, that's just part of the fun on Grandparents' Day at Grace Brethren Elementary School.

Last Friday, the school welcomed around 350 grandparents of kindergarten, first and secondgrade students, some traveling from as far away as Norway to spend the special day with their grandkids. Grandparents' Day has been a longstanding tradition at the school, and it's as much about building relationships as having fun.

"We basically want to instill in the children the value of their grandparents," said second-grade teacher Laurie Brown. "We feel it's very important for their generation to hand down wisdom and knowledge of life that they've had. It's very important to do that and spend time with their grandchildren . . . and they have fun."

Principal Howard Lee opened Grandparents' Day by welcoming his guests in the church chapel. The older children, the second-graders, sang several songs, and the school band performed "The StarSpangled Banner." The grandparents then spent the rest of the morning in the classrooms, as each grade level had specific programs planned.

FAMILY FUN- Grandparents from near and far flocked to Grace Brethren Elementary School recently to enjoy a day full of activites with their young kin.

No child is left without a "grandparent," even if his or hers can't attend. Sometimes aunts and uncles or even parents go back to school.

"We know some kids don't have grandparents. The neat thing is that sometimes a grandparent will come and adopt a child in the classroom for the day so everyone has someone," Lee said. "For us, it's important that kids have . . . somebody there for them . . . to spend time with the student."

Students in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades will have their own Grandparents' Day in the spring.

The school book fair was also going on last week, so grandparents could help students pick out a book. The half-day event ended at noon, and grandparents took their grandkids out to lunch.

"The kids love it," said secretary Nancy Connell. "It's like their favorite day here."

In Rebekah Walter's kindergarten class, students and grandparents spent time goofing around at recess. That's when some grandparents hopped on tricycles or went climbing on the monkey bars. Then the students learned a song about pumpkins before moving on to the book fair. Students and their grandparents also took photographs together in front of a school sign commemorating the day.

Walter, a fourth-year teacher, was impressed with how the students acted when given the responsibility of telling the grandparents about the day's events.

"They showed them around, saying 'This is my desk, this is my work box.' They kind of got to be the ones in charge. It's funny. You'd think they're 5 and they can't handle it, but they're perfect hosts," Walter said. "And they're very proud of their grandparents. They all introduced me to them, and they were very cute about it."

In Brown's class, students and guests worked on arts and crafts projects together. One project involved tracing the hands of a grandparent and child with a Bible verse on the same piece of paper.

"In our society, sometimes the older relationship is lost," Brown said. "The culture we live in values youth, which is fine, except it's important we recognize what a wonderful contribution our grandparents make to their grandchildren. The grandparents love it, and the students love it."