Wednesday morning those in the Lower School were met with a wonderful sight: parents and special friends of first graders streaming down the hall! The students in Mr. Whitmore's, Ms. Kucera's, and Ms. McCall Petke's classes hosted these honored guests as part of the First Grade Literary Celebration, and what a grand time it was.

In all three classrooms as well as out in the hallways, the children and adults (like Sequoia S. '28, pictured above with his guest) could be found reading aloud, enjoying the students' writing, and examining haikus together.

Sebastian L. '28, who recently moved to Portland from London, took time in Ms. Kucera's room to share his illustrated story about Batman and vanquishing horrid goblins. "Great spelling!" exclaimed Sebastian's father. "And this is a beautiful drawing."

Children also read to one another during the celebration, such as in Mr. Whitmore's classroom. Excited voices could be heard sharing a line in unison from Mo Willems' Let's Go For a Drive: "GET THOSE UMBRELLAS!" Other students jointly read chapter books like Morgan and the Midnight Fairy, a tale written by Daisy Meadows.

"Doesn't it look like a grownup did it?" proudly queried a student in Ms. McCall Petke's class. "It does, it really does!" her parents agreed. Another child shared an original story called "Jungle, Jungle" with his mother--the piece incorporated writing, illustration, and work with numbers.

Thank you to all of the parents and special friends who visited, and to our students for showcasing their stellar work!

(Photo Credit for above picture and Facebook gallery: Gabriel Bacelar)