New Parent Dinner Returns

At the suggestion of PA leadership, the New Parent Dinner -- an event that had assumed a breakfast format for a few years -- returned to the lunchroom last night, and with it so many reminders of why it remains a beloved LFCDS tradition. Over 90 community members joined us, including 86% of our newest families alongside representatives of the Leadership Team, Board of Trustees, and Parent Association. 

At a cocktail reception in the Green Bay Atrium, guests heard from Trustee and Development Chair Kate Holland P'20, P'23, P'25 about the family-school partnership that lives at the center of the LFCDS experience and our new strategic plan. In the cafeteria, Class of 2021 alumni Sadie Benjamin and Anthony Giambrone shared LFCDS reflections that may have made the room more than a little dusty; Sadie spoke about a burgeoning interest in poetry cultivated by 8th-grade English teacher Mari O'Connell, Anthony about a school that lets children learn from their mistakes and a community that shows up in a time of need. Behind the tissues and tears, smiles from people happy to call LFCDS their home regardless of where we fall in their journey. 

As is the case with events like the New Parent Dinner, it took many, many folks to pull the event off but there are a few I'd like to call out below: 

For those who don't know, a quick list for easy reference of all the hats Lisa Horstmann wears: runs our admission program, executes re-enrollment, allocates millions in tuition assistance resources, onboards new families, coordinates registration for ESP, drives a bus, helps organize the House system, sits on the assembly committee, calendar committee, storage committee, and her personal favorite, the documentation committee. Last night, Lisa reminded us there's nothing she can't do; she revived a dormant tradition with such ease that she even had the opportunity to get in the kitchen and help with the dishes. Just when we thought we had seen her do it all...

The success of the event hinges in very large part on a group of 8th-grade volunteer servers/bussers. Tracie Tatz and Lauren Artarian; thank you for keeping this group organized and on task. Only some of these kids are ready for jobs at Alinea, but all were incredible ambassadors for our community. 

Dave Buhrmester, Carmen Estrella, Andy Estrella, and the Tenacious Cleaning Team – if our events are memorable, it's because our space is always inspiring and ready for the demands of the program. They transformed the cafeteria twice yesterday (from lunch to the dinner setup and then back to being ready for lunch) and made the rest of the building sparkle over a narrow window after dismissal. Thank you! Thank you!