50 Years

The school celebrated its 50th anniversary today, so they hosted a birthday party.

This afternoon was the kids party. They served a BBQ lunch (bratwurst, hamburger, or veggie burger)and hosted games ranging from pony rides and face painting to 3 legged races and relays. All the kids from preschool to high school attended. Since the school wanted them all to show school spirit and be color coordinated for pictures, every child got a free t-shirt. They even learned a song -- "It's Gonna be a Good Year", a spin off from "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyes Peas, for the occasion. Oh, and of course, they sang "Happy Birthday" and ate cupcakes. They even counted "Are you 1? Are you 2?... all the way up to Are you 50?" The Head of School gave a little speech and talked about how birthdays aren't any fun without presents -- so he told the kids that he had decided to give them all a day off from school this year. The only catch is that the students, administration, and parents' association all have to come to a consensus on which day. Brendan said he's going to lobby for a day off when Uncle Craig visits, but those days are already holidays. (That's good for Brendan as I think it could be a hard sell to all the non-related kids at the school -- not that Uncle Craig isn't a cool guy and all.)

Tonight was a cocktail party (Apero) for the adults. They passed wine, beer, and appetizers all night. We even had a champagne toast and mini cupcakes. It was fun to see everyone dressed up and socializing without kids. We hired a babysitter, but if you didn't have a sitter -- no problem -- the parents' association organized group babysitting in another building. And the total cost for the events? Nothing out of pocket for us. I'd say "free" but the politically correct term over here is "included" as the funds do come from our tuition.