Parents and alumni gathered at Northwood for Homecoming/Parents’ Weekend. (Photo: @northwoodschool/Instagram)
A the peak of fall foliage, Northwood School hosted its annual and long-awaited Parents’ Weekend. For those who are unfamiliar with Parents’ Weekend, here’s a quick summary of the events that unfolded.
On Friday, parents were greeted by students and faculty. They then had the opportunity to sit in on their child’s classes, in order to gain insight into the quality of education offered at the school. Whether parents observed Mr. Reed’s (aka “Reno”) AP Literature class, or Mrs. Walker’s AP Biology class, the general consensus was clear: Mr. H. Runyon’s class was the most entertaining, especially when he went off-topic (which let’s face it, probably happened frequently). Most parents also had opportunities to speak with teachers, and discuss their child’s grades and classroom behavior. That meant that your chances of getting that XBox for Christmas went down dramatically.
On Friday night, parents could eat supper (or dinner, sorry I’m Canadian) at the school or in town. The dining room was filled with people, which meant that the dish-crew for that night (i.e. Dan, David, Bruce and I) definitely had our work cut out for us. Plate after plate came through the conveyor belt, and for a while, our work seemed to be endless. Despite Bruce’s minor freak-out, which included some pretty impressive dance moves, we were able to make it through unscathed.
The next morning was a busy day for both parents and student: a girl’s soccer game (which included the presence of an awesome mascot and a win for Northwood School), Tom Tang’s 3D printed rocket attempting to reach the surface of the moon, shopping, a faculty meeting with parents, jazz band performances. If you were on campus, there was surely something for you to do. Even striking up conversations with Northwood Alumni was a form of entertainment, though the class of ’60 was too cool for me to have lunch with.
Sunday was a relaxed day that started out with a late brunch, followed by a get- together in the living room. Parents were happy to see their kids one last time before leaving. By mid-afternoon, most parents were well on their way home, which meant that some kids were sad, while others were quite happy. Despite the fact that my parents visited for about only two hours, it was really enjoyable to catch up with them after being away from home for a month. I’m sure that most students whose parents attended Parents’ Weekend would agree that it was an agreeable experience, despite the fact they now won’t be getting that XBox
- Justin Haineault ’16
