Parent Teas are a Ranney Rite of Spring

It was Ranney Lower School’s traditional welcome to spring as parents, grandparents and friends visited campus last week for the much-anticipated Parent Teas, enjoying refreshments in the Lower School Gallery, special performances staged in RSPA Panther Hall, and visits to classrooms. Dressed in their very best, Lower Schoolers showed off their talents to an audience of proud, smiling family members, demonstrating their growing poise and confidence, both on stage and in the classroom.

Starting with Ranney’s youngest students, and directed by Early Childhood music teacher Vicki Chriss, the day’s festivities began with Beginners, pre-K, kindergartners and 1st graders taking center stage to perform before an admiring audience of family and friends, singing everything from “Acting Out the ABC’s” and “The Hokey Pokey” to “It’s A Beautiful Day” and “The Circle of Life”. The young vocalists were followed by recorder performances from 2nd and 3rd grade classes, under the direction of Dr. Dorothy Sobieski. Playing a wide variety of musical selections they treated the audience to tunes such as “South American Rhythm” and “Bad Boy Boogie” to “Hot Cross Buns” and “Bells Are Ringing”, among others. Then, with music teacher Lillianne Torrente directing, 4th and 5th graders demonstrated their Choral Dramatics skills, as well as a little humor, and among their many selections performed “Tango for Plungers” using actual plungers as props. Not to be outdone 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade string orchestras also performed, showing off their proficiency in violin and viola, playing such melodies as “Ice Dancing”, “Open Strings for All”, American folk song “Buffalo Gals” and Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”.

During a brief interlude between performances, Russell Gartz, Director of Institutional Advancement, took the opportunity on behalf of the Ranney community, to thank the Jones family: Dr. M. Michael and Tara Jones and their children Siobhan ’21 and Gavin “25, for their support of the school’s performing arts program. Their generous gift made possible the acquisition of the beautiful Concert Grand piano that now sits next to the Roberts Stage in Panther Hall, accompanying so many of Ranney’s student performances.

Following each of the performances, parents visited the Lower School classrooms where, in a prelude to Mother’s Day, many moms were presented with one-of-a-kind hand-made gifts. At the end of the day, parents and students alike left campus in high spirits, marking Ranney’s unofficial rite of spring.

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.