Some District Five elementary schools are giving a nod to grandparents with a handful of events planned for early September. National Grandparents Day is Sunday, September 8.
Events ranging from “Grits for Grandparents” to “Goodies for Grandparents” are held annually at several District Five schools. At Dutch Fork Elementary, a few hundred people signed up to eat lunch with students on Friday, Sept. 6 and Monday, September 9 as the school held its two-day “Grandparents and Grandfriends Day” event.
Dutch Fork Elementary Principal Julius Scott said, “We’ve had very good response. It takes a whole community – parents, grandparents, educators and concerned citizens – to educate our children. This event is designed to thank our grandparents for their contributions and also to get them into the school so that they’re actively involved in it.”
Nearly 300 people signed up for the event last year, and grandparents traveled from as far as Tennessee this year to attend, school officials say. Beverly Castleberry, a grandmother of two Dutch Fork Elementary students, said she looks forward to the event each year.
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“I was fortunate enough to have a grandmother and great-grandmother in my life growing up, and everything that I know about life comes from them. So, I’m passing that on,” said Castleberry. “And also, it takes a village to raise our children. I’m that village child. I was raised by a village of people. So, I’m hear for my grandchildren and all the children. This lets the children know that someone cares.”
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