More than 500 guests attended Colorado Academy’s festive Grandparents & Special Friends Day on December 21, 2023, the last day of school before Winter Break. Visitors were thrilled to come to campus on a sunny and warm December morning to share breakfast treats, see their Lower and Middle School students in their classrooms, and enjoy an art show and musical performances.
Proud family members and friends first gathered in the Field House inside the CA Athletic Center for refreshments and a welcome from Head of School Dr. Mike Davis. Recognizing a very special group of grandparents who had been present for the annual tradition for 15 straight years, Davis said, “Whether this is your first or your 15th visit, I want to thank all of you for contributing so much to the CA community. You volunteer, you give to The CA Fund, you support your grandchildren socially and emotionally—you make us who we are.”
Davis went on to highlight just a few of the ways the hundreds of honored guests had helped impact the lives of all students:
- CA is able to commit more than $5 million each year to support financial access for families, all of it need-based, completely confidential, and without any repayment requirements.
- CA continually enhances the student experience; this year, that meant introducing more than a dozen new Advanced Studies and Research (ASR) courses, offering high school scholars an unmatched opportunity to pursue new knowledge and distinguish themselves in the college admission process.
- And CA works to create a sense of belonging for all families within a community defined by courage, kindness, responsibility, inclusivity, grit, and gratitude.
Several eagerly awaited musical performances drew cheers following Davis’s remarks.
The Head of School then invited visitors to accompany student guides to classrooms, where engaging activities and games allowed grandparents and special friends to spend time with their students.
In the Lower School, visitors were delighted to see samples of student work, read together, enjoy poems and presentations, and test their math and language skills, while guests of students in Grades 6–8 had fun touring the halls of the Chowdry Middle School, performing science experiments, reading aloud, and sitting in desks alongside their students.
Guests also enjoyed stopping in to the Ponzio Art Center to view the hundreds of artworks displayed in the annual Pre-K–Grade 8 Art Showcase.
While grandparents and special friends were touring campus and admiring the work of their Lower and Middle School students, CA’s Ninth through Twelfth Graders were staging their own special event in the Leach Center for the Performing Arts. The annual Upper School Talent Show included stunning performances by student musicians, singers, and dancers, and faculty members contributed their own hilarious skits and singalongs to round out the show. Even Dr. Davis joined a Senior rock group for a number.
At the end of a packed morning schedule, many students departed with their grandparents and special friends, eager to begin a relaxing and fun-filled Winter Break.