The Light of St. Patrick's shone bright at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday, November 17, as Day School Chaplain Jenifer Gamber was ordained as a deacon. Following the Prelude, featuring selections by Durufle and Palestrina, the MacArthur Campus Chamber Singers sang, as the Introit, "Woyaya," by Ghanaian drummer Sol Amarifio. The lyrics of the song, "We are going," from the Ga language spoken in and around Accra, reflect life's journey: The road can be hard and messy, but persevering as a community will sustain us.

Music teacher Anne Tyler, who directs the Chamber Singers, also led the congregation in the Litany for Ordinations and the Hymn of Consecration. Religion teacher Kankunda Klingenberg carried the Day School banner. The Chamber Singers comprises 21 students in Grades 7 and 8. On Saturday, they were joined by two classmates, one playing bass guitar and the other the drums, along with Ms. Gamber's husband, Ed Gamber, on guitar. The auditioned group performs regularly at Day School concerts and other events.

Each fall, Grade 1 embarks on an interdisciplinary study of monarch butterflies. During this unit, students learn about the monarch life cycle and winter habitat in Mexico and how human actions affect the environment. Students are also introduced to basic mapping and geography concepts. As part of this study, they complete a design challenge in which they are asked to build a butterfly out of repurposed materials, using what they have learned about the monarch body.

Each year our students from Kindergarten to Grade 5 look forward to Grandparents & Special Friends Visiting Day. The day begins with a light breakfast and a musical performance, followed by welcoming remarks by Head of School Peter A. Barrett. From there, schedules vary based on the grade of the excited student-host. All grandparents and special friends will be invited to spend time in the classroom, attend chapel, and participate in grade-specific service activities.

A Grandparent & Special Friends Visiting Day Co-Chair and mother of two children at St. Patrick's remarked, "Grandparents & Special Friends Visiting Day is a beloved tradition. My children took so much pride in sharing everything about their school with the people that they love. The morning is carefully designed to showcase St. Patrick's as an extraordinary community of confident and proud Wolfhounds." We look forward to sharing part of the morning with these special visitors!

Gifts for Good, the school's community-wide alternative gift fair, will take place on Saturday, December 1, from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm in the Gymnasium & Performance Center. An annual event for all ages, Gifts for Good reflects our commitment to serving the broader community. Students, faculty and staff, and parents collaborate to offer token gifts in exchange for contributions to a range of local, domestic, and international causes. Organizations include DC Hunger Solutions, Warrior Canine Connection, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and Horizons Greater Washington, along with our annual support of St. Etienne, our partner school in Haiti.

Each year at Gifts for Good, attendees make donations to a variety of organizations in exchange for token gifts that can be given to family and friends in place of more traditional consumer products. The community-wide event is expected to attract more than 400 attendees and raise meaningful funds for more than 30 beneficiary organizations. We look forward to seeing you at this year's gathering!