Traditions
Advent Angels: During Advent, students and faculty participate in anonymous gift exchanges known as Advent Angels. During this holy period of anticipation, generosity of spirit is encouraged. Participants make and bake gifts for their Advent Angel in a celebratory atmosphere of secrecy and joy. At the traditional Christmas Sing (held the day before vacation), each Advent Angel presents a final gift and reveals herself to her Angel.
Blue and Silver Teams: Competitive interschool "teams" based on the school colors that offer opportunities for a friendly and constructive rivalry. All members of the Newton Country Day School community are inducted into either the Blue or Silver Team during the fall of their first year at Newton. Throughout the school year, the teams compete for points in various areas of school life, including school spirit, participation and attendance at school events, Halloween costume competition, Congé, etc. At the end of the year, the team with the greater number of points is awarded the traditional Blue-Silver Trophy.
Congé: Congé, a French word meaning "holiday", is a surprise, in-school holiday during which the usual class schedule is suspended in favor of fun activities that help to build community. Planned by the Committee of Games, Congé is traditionally announced mid-morning by Seniors, sparking bursts of excitement and laughter throughout the school halls. Recent Congés have featured game shows and trivia contests, carnival games and other activities.
Goûter: The French word goûter refers to a mid-morning or afternoon snack that is provided on special occasions or celebrations. Students and faculty at Newton Country Day School look forward to goûters, which generally are planned by the Headmistress and kitchen staff as a surprise for all.
Prize Day: A time-honored tradition, Prize Day ritually marks the end of the school year. Held in the Chapel, the formal Prize Day ceremonies (the Middle and Upper Schools convene separately) celebrate students’ accomplishments in the previous semester. Students who earn honors grades receive silver or gold distinction and certificates distributed by the Headmistress. The Headmistress and Head of each school also distribute certificates and awards received for exemplary performance on regional and national exams (such as those for foreign languages, maths and the sciences). In addition to academic honors, each Prize Day affirms the Goals of Sacred Heart Schools by conferring five Goal Awards to a student in each class. Students nominate their peers, describing the ways in which their classmates have fulfilled the criteria set out by the individual goals.
Ring Ceremony: Held in the Spring of each year, Ring Ceremony is one of the most anticipated events in a girl’s career at NCDS. The class ring marks a student’s transition from junior to senior year.
Vespers: Each December just before Christmas, the school community, including students and their families, faculty and alumnae, gather for Advent worship. A popular family tradition, Newton Country Day School's Vespers features the school's acclaimed Schola Cantorum, as well as the Middle School Chorus and Upper School Chorale, Gospel Choir, Liturgical Dancers, and Instrumental Ensembles.
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Famous quotes containing the word traditions:
“I think a Person who is thus terrifyed [sic] with the Imagination of Ghosts and Spectres much more reasonable, than one who contrary to the Reports of all Historians sacred and profane, ancient and modern, and to the Traditions of all Nations, thinks the Appearance of Spirits fabulous and groundless.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
“Napoleon never wished to be justified. He killed his enemy according to Corsican traditions [le droit corse] and if he sometimes regretted his mistake, he never understood that it had been a crime.”
—Guillaume-Prosper, Baron De Barante (1782–1866)
“... the more we recruit from immigrants who bring no personal traditions with them, the more America is going to ignore the things of the spirit. No one whose consuming desire is either for food or for motor-cars is going to care about culture, or even know what it is.”
—Katharine Fullerton Gerould (1879–1944)