As the end of the academic year approaches, there is much happening on campus this week while seniors finish their academic requirements and prepare for graduation!
On Thursday and Friday, our final Dance Ensemble performance, entitled ‘Paradigm,’ hit the stage in the Carol Franc Buck Hall of the Arts (HOTA)! Boarding had many students participating, from Jojo W. ’23—our senior boarding student who danced, choreographed, and worked on the musical compositions—to Jamelle N. ’24, Emma Z. ’25, Linda A. ’24, Josefina V. ’26, and Emily D. ’26, who all danced in several pieces. Between the costume changes and the vibrancy of the dance styles, students were able to show off so much of what they learned during their time here at SD and share their history of their work via “behind the scenes” movies by Dance Teacher Alyssa Carnahan. It was a beautiful performance, gripping at the hearts of the students, families, and faculty who viewed it.
On Friday, the entire San Domenico community gathered on Kesterson Field for the annual Day on the Green! Our students huddled in groups while signing yearbooks, listening to music, playing games, and enjoying the beautiful weather together. Upper School and Middle School bands played music and sang the afternoon away. Afterwards, boarding students continued signing yearbooks and looking at photos. One of the best parts of boarding is seeing how students from different grades get to know one another, developing close friendships, almost like siblings. Students such as Teresa G. ’23 had her yearbook signed by many classmates, from Emily D. ‘26 to Jojo W., reflecting the friendships she developed throughout the school year.
On Saturday, students took a trip to San Francisco’s Union Square, a popular shopping site and place for students to buy final gifts to bring back home. During the evening, we went to the movies at the Fairfax Theater, and Aarya C. ’24, Mark P. ’25, and Liza K. ’26 grabbed ice cream afterwards at Scoop, the local ice cream parlor. Fairfax, one of our local haunts, is a great small town for students to explore and enjoy on weekend evenings. On campus, we played a game of “Capture the Flag,” with students running all over campus and “tagging” one another with lasers. Arda K. ’24 and Chidera O. ’25 were enthusiastic teammates and enjoyed running through campus together.
On Sunday, we held our end-of-year celebration! We had a whole day of activities for students, including a special brunch bar, photo booth, open pool, barbeque and boba bar catered by Epicurean, movie in the theater at HOTA, catered Chipotle dinner, and student-led polaroid pictures of the day’s activities. Hosted by our prefects, we were able to see the students take on leadership of their community, bringing a mood of great joy to the celebration. At the end of the evening, many students didn’t want to call it a night, and created an extended after party, including Liza K., Arda K., and Aarya C. who hosted an impromptu karaoke night. It’s always wonderful to see students enjoying their camaraderie together!
On Tuesday, Science Teacher and Resident Faculty Mary Churchill hosted the traditional “end-of-year hike,” hiking with day and boarding students up Loma Alta mountain to watch the sunset and to enjoy burritos al fresco. Loma Alta, a beautiful hilltop with a view overlooking the San Domenico campus, provides a place to scan the horizon and view hundreds of miles in any direction. For single-year students such as Enzo E. ’24, Henri H. ’24, and Freddy N. ’25, it was an opportunity to celebrate with their friends and say goodbye as their year comes to an end. This year, Ms. Churchill was joined by fellow faculty from the Upper School, as well as Resident Faculty and Dorm Head Eric Stanchfield, to celebrate a year well lived!
Graduation is nearly upon us, as we celebrate the end of each senior’s time here at SD. All of their hard work and effort has led to this upcoming moment, and we could not be more proud of each and every one.
