Campus event provides common experience for students, grandparents

Preparations begin as the 28th annual FC Grandparents Day approaches, Sept. 20. Every fall, grandparents experience a day in their grandchild’s life. Students and faculty spend time rehearsing songs, preparing activities and decorating classrooms.

Check in starts at 9:30 a.m. in the courtyard, followed by a special chapel at 10 a.m. Afterwards, students and grandparents meet up for classroom activities.

Superintendent Jeremy Brown shares what makes Grandparents Day valuable to him and the campus.

“There are a lot of grandparents that I know but there are also many I don’t,” Brown said. “This is a great time for me to meet new grandparents from our community. The event brings a special energy.”

This is Brown’s sixth year as superintendent. As well as seeing growth in educational programs; Brown hopes to expand the FC community.

“Many travel from parts of CA, from other states and some even internationally,” Brown said. “I don’t have any living grandparents, but I treasure the relationships that I have from the generations before me.”

Skylar Higginbotham, ’22, participated in previous Grandparents Days and looks forward to spending more time with her grandparents this year.

“The best part of Grandparents Day is just having your grandparents come to your school and see what it’s like,” Higginbotham said. “A lot of times you don’t see them very often or as much as you would like to see them, so it’s cool to have them in this environment; meeting your friends and meeting your teachers.”

Fifth-grade teacher Janet Vander Kooi explains her favorite part of this yearly event.

“For me, I love taking the pictures because everybody’s so happy with smiles on their faces,” Vander Kooi said. “They’re just happy to be together. My favorite part is just seeing the relationship between the grandparents and the students.”

In the following podcast, Zoe Bull and Summer Foshee interview FCS grandparents Richard and Janet Poplin.

FC grandmother Janet Poplin encourages fellow grandparents to come to the event by sharing what makes Grandparents Day special to her.

“Don’t be hesitant,” Poplin said. “You’ll be greeted the minute you get there, you’ll get to spend great time with your grandchildren, they have a wonderful lunch and it’s just a good connection with your grandchildren.”

The following tweet features some pictures from the 2018 grandparents day.

We are expecting over 550 grandparents for the 28th annual Grandparents Day, Sept. 20. Come enjoy a morning of classroom visitations, a special chapel designed for grandparents, and lunch w/ their student.

Join us, start your day w/ coffee & pastries in the courtyard at 9:30 am pic.twitter.com/ASSG8arwAb

— Fresno Christian (@fresnochristian) September 17, 2019

A free luncheon will be provided at 11:30 a.m. before activities end at 12:25 p.m. Shuttle service will be provided to transport grandparents to and from the parking lot. However, grandparents are encouraged to arrive on campus by 9:30 a.m. for coffee and pastries in the courtyard.

For more articles, read NYFD first responder, Andy Isolano, speaks during California 9/11 Memorial. For more on last year’s Grandparents Day, read Over 550 seniors attend 2018 Grandparents Day.

Zoe Bull can be reached via Twitter and via email.

Summer Foshee can be reached via Twitter and via email.