May 2020 Newsletter

Dear Bancroft Friends, 

As we prepare for all the rites of passage that come with the end of the Bancroft school year, I'm struck once again by the enduring growth, compassion, and resiliency of our community. Spring — when flowers and trees bloom after a long, cold winter — is the perfect time to showcase that resilience.

 

Our 5th grade play may not go on as we are accustomed to seeing at a packed Harrington Theater, but our actors are still hard at work memorizing lines at virtual rehearsals with Mrs. Wagner. Our students haven't been able to play on campus, but they've stayed active and fit — just ask Coach Gerhardt, who kept track of the 1 million steps our community trekked during a weekly Health & Wellness Bulldog Challenge. Our Class of 2020 has not had a chance to wrap up their high school career in person, but our graduates will set off into the world emboldened and forever enriched by their time on Shore Drive.

 

Despite the disruption of the past few months, we have found that the dedication of our teachers comes through no matter the medium and stretches beyond our physical campus. We have found the compassion and imagination of our students knows no age. And we have found that our graduates light up when Spike joins Upper School faculty to deliver graduation signs door-to-door.

 

You have all — students, families, faculty, staff — made us proud with your commitment to education and to one another during this time. Let's carry that momentum through the celebratory weeks to come.

 

Best,

Trey Cassidy
Head of School

SPECIAL DELIVERY

In his woodshop class over 20 years ago, Peter McKone, Director of Operations, Campus Enhancement, and Maintenance used to have students make birdhouses. It was the perfect project — easy to make and fun to decorate. 

The woodshop program is no longer around, but when McKone thought of students currently stuck in their houses, he knew exactly what could raise spirits — these same birdhouses. After connecting with Ali Chappell and Cory Shepherd, who were more than willing to add some woodworking art classes into their virtual curriculum, he got to work.

Cutting pieces for 16 birdhouse kits — one for each 4th grade student, plus a few teachers, and adding a little bag of nails and detailed instructions, he drove around and delivered each kit by hand — all 16 of them. 

"Building a birdhouse is a great project for a quarantined Lower School student," McKone says. "It's a hands-on project that requires measuring and hand-eye coordination using hand tools, yet goes together quickly. When I taught woodworking in Lower School the birdhouses were a favorite project of the students. Working with the same basic structure, each student is able make theirs unique by decorating and painting it how they want."

Check out the story in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette!

A DAY IN THE LIFE

What does alternative learning look like for students? Follow along as Natalie '24 shows us what makes up her day!

SURPRISE! A PARADE TO REMEMBER

Seniors were in for a big surprise last week when members of the Upper School faculty showed up at their houses! The teachers, administrators, and coaches (and Spike!) formed a socially distant caravan to deliver "Class of 2020" signs to the soon-to-be graduates.

For Dean of Students and Latin teacher Robin Silverman, it was the highlight of her year. "When I think of all of the wonderful memories in my 15 years of teaching at Bancroft, driving to the homes of 40 seniors in a honking, hooting, and hollering caravan of colleagues and seeing the joy and appreciation on their faces is hands-down my favorite! I know how meaningful that experience was for all of the seniors, and it was equally valuable for the faculty members who participated."

Silverman hopes that — in light of everything going on — the gesture makes the Class of 2020 feel special. 

"We miss our students so much and can imagine how the Class of 2020 must feel as they are not able to take part in some of our traditional senior rites of passage. We are hopeful that the sign delivery gave this class their own special moment."

SAVE THE DATE!

The Bancroft Student Spring Art Show is opening on May 27! Check out artwork from the whole school, including sculptures, paintings, ceramics, photography, animation, and more. 

 

Visit bancroftarts.org to view our students' hard work!

Shorelines is produced by the Marketing and Communications Office at Bancroft. If you have questions or story ideas please contact jcarlton@bancroftschool.org.

Bancroft School

110 Shore Drive • Worcester, MA 01605 • (508) 853-2640