Kindergarten and college may not have a lot in common, but one similarity is the opportunity for grandparents to come and experience school with their grandchild.
This is only the second year that Grandparents Day has been an event at Goshen College, but Rose Shetler, director of annual giving, who organized a large portion of the day, decided she wanted to make it happen here after hearing a presentation about a similar experience at another college.
Grandparent’s Day is an opportunity for families to visit and see what their student is involved with at the college. In addition to being a day where students go about their normal routines while joined by their grandparents, there are quite a few additional activities planned.
Grandparents began their day by signing in and meeting up with their student. They had the option of attending a class with their grandchild sometime during the day, whenever worked best in both of their schedules. There was a special additional chapel midmorning where grandparents were celebrated and the impact of the relationships with them were presented, and previously submitted photos of grandchildren and their grandkids were shown.
Lunch was another opportunity for the families to hang out together and for the grandparents to get involved in conversations with other students and grandparents. In the afternoon, there were organized presentations for grandparents to attend presented by faculty members about interesting things happening at Goshen College.
Grandparents often enjoy the experience of attending a class with their grandchild.
Berke Beidler, a sophomore, said, “My grandma really liked coming to class since she hadn’t been to one since she was a student.”
Grandparent’s Day gives the grandparents of current students a way to come back to the Goshen College community, especially important for alumni and those with other connections to the community.
“It was also fun for her to reconnect with people she hadn’t seen in a long time,” Beidler said.
Also on the evening of Grandparent’s Day was the Fall Choral Concert. It was a fun opportunity for grandparents and community members alike to see the involvement of their grandchildren on campus and with other students.
Overall, a very positive response was heard from students, grandparents and college faculty alike. Highlights of the day were spending time with grandchildren and their friends, while getting to enjoy the campus.
Grandparent’s Day is a unique and important way to celebrate the diverse families from which students come, and invite them to be involved in the Goshen College community for the day.
