Windermere Prep Hosts Grand Visitors

Grandparents and Grand Friends were recently feted at Windermere Preparatory School, as the community celebrated National Grandparents Day. Students in Grades four and under were encouraged to bring grandparents and other older relatives and friends to their classroom for morning activities.

Some of the younger grades sang songs for their guests, as did Jennifer White’s PreK-4 class. Ms. White’s students shared a breakfast buffet with their guests as they showed off student work displayed throughout the classroom. Cindy Antia’s fourth graders interviewed their guests about things they remembered as youngsters, then drew illustrations of what they learned, and displayed them on a time line. Second graders in Sandy Tamasi’s class made keepsake hand prints with their guests, under the title, “Me and My Grand Hand in Hand.”

Annually observed later in the school year at WPS, this was the first year WPS has held its celebration of grandparents to coincide with the national holiday. The holiday came through the efforts of a West Virginia mother of 15, Maria McQuade, who campaigned in the 1970s to have a day set aside just for grandparents. McQuade wanted to create a day that would serve a threefold purpose. She wanted to “honor grandparents; give grandparents the opportunity to show love for their children’s children; and help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.” President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation designating the Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day in 1978, and it began being celebrated in 1979.

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