April 28, 2020
Dear Shady Side Families,
It will likely be at least a few more weeks before children attend a sleepover, visit their favorite ice cream shop, or show up in person for a classmate's birthday celebration.
But kids at Shady Side can still party on.
Recently, almost 200 Junior School students, teachers, and parents boogied down en masse on Zoom, coming together for SSA's first-ever "Virtual Dance Party," organized by the Junior School administration and faculty.
With Pharrell Williams' Happy blaring through their laptop speakers, children and adults alike were bouncing off couches, moonwalking on kitchen floors, and cha-cha sliding across coffee tables. I saw psychedelic visuals, strobe lights, and disco balls – and at one point a few kids started gleefully scribbling all over their screens with virtual crayons.
The whole scene could only be described as digital bedlam – or maybe the best fun a kid can have while sheltering in place!
At a time when we all might feel more isolated and alone than usual, the Junior School reminds us of the joy and resilience we can experience when we make the effort to connect and celebrate with friends. Or as their friend Pharrell might put it:
Here come bad news, talking this and that
Well, give me all you got, don't hold it back
Well, I should probably warn you, I'll be just fine
No offense to you, don't waste your time, here's why
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along ...
I hope that in the face of all that confines and insulates us at the moment, you are following the lead of our youngest students and finding the joyful occasion to "clap along" with friends!
Glory to Shady Side!
Best,
Bart Griffith '93
President