Greenwich Academy Celebrates 185th Opening Day Assembly

By Sarah Holzschuh

A sea of plaid uniforms and the cheers of a very proud Class of 2012 marked the beginning of the school year on the Greenwich Academy campus on Wednesday morning, September 7, 2011. The seniors, clad in red senior-special shirts and accessories, arrived at school early to mark their last “first day.”

As students, faculty, and staff gathered in Raether Gymnasium for the first assembly of the 2011-2012 year, spirits were high despite the rainy weather. The seniors led the way, lining the center aisle of the gym to welcome the entire GA community and expressing their class pride as Head of School Molly King recognized them for their leadership and the responsibility they hold as the new class “on top.” First to move down the aisle were the Group I girls, who were surprised and excited by the exuberant school spirit.

After introducing the members of the senior class who are the elected student leaders and the president of the Middle School, King defined a theme for this year — Citizenship — by sharing some thoughts from GA girls about what it means to be a GA citizen, a global citizen and a digital citizen. Senior leaders include This was followed by a speech from the current school president, Morgan Hearne, who gave the community a motto to consider this year, “Choose Today,” and encouraged everyone to embrace the opportunity to be positive and continue to grow.

In the spirit of this new rallying motto and with regard to beginning her last year at GA, Hearn commented, “I’m so excited to be leading the school through this year, and standing in the spot of girls I’ve looked up to and admired throughout my time here.”

Caroline Dunn, Group VIII, described the excitement of the day’s proceedings with her description of the most memorable part of the day: “the sea of crimson shirts exuberantly screaming ‘2012! 2012!’ as loud as they possibly could at the assembly, their voices soaring through the cavernous gym.”

King echoed this sentiment of infectious enthusiasm, saying “Greenwich Academy is the only school I know that generates enough excitement on the first day of school to literally raise the roof of Raether Gymnasium. We are thrilled that GA's 185th year is underway and spirits were not dampened by the rain today. Clad in senior red, the Class of 2012 set the tone for the rest of us with smiles, creams and hugs. The 2011-12 school year is launched!”