Birthday Excitement as Groton Celebrates 133 Years

The abundance of gifts was a surprise. For the first time, the school birthday coincided with a community day of giving known as Give2Groton. The effort included social media posts, numerous volunteers who spread the word, and several key challenge grants. It also included a one-day goal of 380 gifts, one for each Groton student.

But by mid-morning Groton’s extended family had obliterated that goal. With numbers rapidly climbing, the Alumni and Development Office set a new and ambitious goal of 850 gifts. Donations poured in from everywhere, with high numbers coming from Massachusetts (220), New York (139), and California (66). “As soon as it went live at midnight, I started getting emails,” said Director of Recent Graduate Relations Allison MacBride, who orchestrated Give2Groton. “It started in Asia and it didn’t stop. I was impressed with the pace.”

By the time Give2Groton ended, the donors—trustees, alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends—had given 940 gifts and $694,708 (including about $250,000 in challenge matches), and inspired excitement throughout the community. “I had no idea that Give2Groton would generate that many gifts,” said Ms. MacBride. “It tells me that Groton has an incredibly engaged and dedicated family of alumni and parents. People really care about Groton School.”

Throughout the day, the challenge grants were key: Headmaster Temba Maqubela and Vuyelwa Maqubela offered a match for gifts of any size that came from the Forms of 2014–17. And those youngest graduates came through: more gifts came in from the Forms of 2017 and 2016 than from any other forms. Kicking off the enthusiasm was a match from a group of trustees—$100,000 when the first target of 380 was hit. A second trustee incentive accompanied the 850-gift goal, delivering $133,000—one thousand for every Groton birthday year—when those gifts came in.

As gifts were tallied, activities built enthusiasm on campus. During the morning conference period, students competed for their dorms to pin the “candle” on the birthday cake, walking blindfolded amidst cheers and blaring music. At lunchtime, students gathered to write notes of thanks to those who were making donations. The usual Groton birthday dinner moved to a more festive setting in the gym, where Fifth Formers belted out a raucous rendition of “Blue Bottles,” one of Groton’s quirkiest and most beloved traditions.

The day had started on the right foot, when a chapel talk by Gardner Mundy ’59 set a tone of gratitude. Mr. Mundy discussed what he called the “Groton constants”—things that have not changed since he attended the school’s seventy-first birthday celebration as a student. The constants include the school’s commitment to excellence, the deep friendships forged among formmates, and lasting relationships between students and faculty.

“Never again will you be surrounded by so many who are so committed to your intellectual and personal growth, so ready to rescue you when you stumble, so encouraging when you need it, so admonishing when you deserve it,” he said, describing Groton faculty. “Don’t resist this involvement.”

The fourth “Groton constant,” he said, is service. Mr. Mundy quoted from the 1931 Prize Day address of one of Groton’s foremost public servants, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and wished out loud that more political leaders had the benefit of a Groton education. Noting that his comment was nonpartisan, he said, “I ask myself how different things might have been, or could be, if more of the people who occupy high political office, like the president and vice president, members of Congress, Cabinet secretaries, governors of states, members of state legislatures—you name it—if these people had been exposed even a little bit during their formative years to the influences that everyone who attends or works at Groton School experiences daily. If only they had not missed out on Groton’s constants.”

Another constant, as Tuesday proved, is the commitment of graduates, like Mr. Mundy, who maintain their connection to the school, no matter how many birthdays Groton School celebrates.