Groton's 134th Birthday, and a Surprising Flood of Birthday Gifts

Activities sparked enthusiasm for Give2Groton throughout the day, from Roll Call announcements complete with birthday hats and noisemakers, to a sweet (and messy) dorm competition during conference period, to the always festive school birthday dinner and the Fifth Formers’ traditional singing of “Blue Bottles.” 

October 16 began with a chapel talk about gratitude by Lucy Brainard ’14. A senior at Northeastern University, Lucy described how much Groton has influenced her life—from the steady guidance of her faculty advisor (science teacher Paula Marks), to a transformational Groton trip to Tanzania, to the message of inclusion that Headmaster Temba Maqubela emphasized during his first year on the Circle (Lucy's final year). 

“Mr. Maqubela began preaching inclusion from the first introductory speech he gave, and while I will admit sometimes the message could go in one ear and out the other, the philosophy is something that has stuck with me since Prize Day,” said Lucy. “I realize how lucky I am to have had the resources, support, and opportunities that have shaped my life, and that only a fraction of our society has such experiences. … I know that whatever job I have after college … needs to be helping to create a more equitable and inclusive world.”

After the quiet of Lucy’s chapel talk came a rollicking Roll Call and the student body singing “Happy birthday” to Groton. The morning conference period was spirited too, as students competed for their dorms by diving into plates of whipped cream and trying to find the Hershey’s kisses buried inside.

As events were shared on social media and a Give2Groton web page, momentum built. By mid-morning, the effort had met its original goal of 530 gifts (one for each student, faculty, and staff). Many challenges—issued by trustees, parents, the Maqubelas, and individuals—spurred energetic participation. By lunchtime, when students gathered to write notes of thanks to those who were making donations, the tally was quickly ticking upward. By late afternoon, with gifts approaching last year’s end-of-day total, a group of trustees issued a new challenge, doubling the target number of gifts to 1,060.