Grandparents Day 2025

By: Michelle Wu '27

On Friday, January 17th, Cate hosted grandparents from all across the country and around the world to celebrate the biennial Grandparents Day. Cate students and faculty honored cross-generation bonds with grandparents, which Head of School, Alex Lockett, calls “the purest love there is.” While students started their academic day at 8:30, the guests began trickling into Booth Commons at 9:00 for muffins, tea, coffee, and chit-chat. Their morning officially kicked off at 10:00 in the Hitchcock Theater with a presentation on the history of Cate by former faculty member Frank Griffin. Ms. Hill, grandmother of Ellie Walmsley ‘27 and mother of two Cate alumni, described the session as one of the highlights of her day, remarking, “It was nice getting to chat with him after the talk,” especially since Mr. Griffin taught both of her daughters. 

At 10:45, everyone gathered in the Class of ‘81 Amphitheater for the all-school assembly. Head prefects, Sam Jimenez ‘25 and Peter Lehman ‘25, led the assembly and, as part of the planned activities, invited three pairs of grandparents and grandchildren up on stage for a fun game of “Guess the Song.” The atmosphere was “fun and energetic,” as the grandmother of Maddie Kollock ‘27 recalled. Then, the Blue Ewe put on a fashion show with students dressed head to toe Cate merch to promote the senior discount for grandparents at the store. 

After the Assembly, the grandparents enjoyed lunch with their grandchildren and had the opportunity to take a portrait with them in Booth. Apart from the photoshoot, Maddie’s grandmother commented, “Lunch was delicious, and it was nice to see how the kids eat and manage lunchtime.” During both first and second lunches, grandparents were free to take a walk around the Mesa and picture the day-to-day lives of their grandchildren. They could also visit the new facilities - the Meldman Field and the Co-Lab or talk to other grandparents and faculty members. 

During M-Block (1:15-1:55), they were welcomed to the Chamber Ensemble’s performance in the Chapel. Cate’s top-notch musicians performed four pieces: “Autumn Leaves,” “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba,” “The Concerto Grosso,” and “Concerto III (3) per Flauto Op. 3. According to Claire Tang ‘27, one of the nine performers, “a little more than half of the Chapel” was full. Maddie’s grandma mentioned that she “loved seeing these talented musicians!” Apart from the Chamber performance, grandparents were also welcomed to other M-Block classes such as Chorale, in which a handful of them even voted on the songs that the groups will perform at Spring Family Weekend. 

To end the academic day, grandparents attended G-Block (1:55-3:00) with their grandchildren. Ellie’s grandma joined Kido Sensei’s Japanese 2 class. The class was “taught entirely in Japanese,” yet she “could get hints [of what was said] from the way she was teaching.” Though most grandparents were able to delight in this experience, some were unable to visit their grandchildren’s class due to test-taking conflicts. For instance, G-Block Chemistry had a unit assessment that day, and Maddie’s grandma, along with many other grandparents, attended another sophomore class instead of sitting through a test. Maddie’s grandma expressed her disappointment, saying, “I questioned why a chem test would be given on this particular day when this opportunity only comes every 2 years.” Indeed, this was a bummer for both the visitors and the students. Maddie suggested that, in the future, it might be better to offer two classes for grandparents, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to attend at least one.

As the 3:00 PM bell rang, students hustled back to their dorms to get ready for sports. Simultaneously, visitors on golf carts or by foot arrived at the pool, fields, gym, and tennis courts to watch practices. To finish the day, many took their grandchildren out for dinner in Carpinteria. Overall, “It was an enjoyable day,” Maddie’s grandma concluded. Karry Tan’s ‘27 grandpa, who traveled all the way from New Zealand hopes to attend Grandparents Day again in two years!