Founders’ Day 2019

Snow and sleet can't keep the Gryphons from celebrating our school's birthday! On Friday, Feb. 22, we enjoyed a rare Friday morning chapel service celebrating the founding of our beloved school.

We enjoyed wonderful prayers from our Student Council and celebrated faculty anniversaries -- in particular, Ms. Martucci's and Ms. Rutledge's 15 years of service at Grace.

Our Head of School Jen Danish offered some memories of Grace's founding, focusing especially on the support our school received from Bishop John T. Walker. "As we approach a milestone birthday of 60 years and as we celebrate Black History Month, it seems like a good moment to give thanks to a person of great importance in the journey and success of Grace back in the early 1980’s, Bishop John T. Walker."

Class of 2013 alumna Mary Di Martino gave a wonderful speech full of warmth, celebrating her happy memories of Grace and what she learned here.

. . . Our school song says that “Grace is the PLACE.” But it's so much more than a place. For me, it’s a feeling - like the feeling of Christmas morning or when I hug my dog. While I love being at Stone Ridge, there really is no place like Grace and there’s no feeling quite like being part of this strong, diverse, and loving community.

. . . Every day at Grace I felt loved. I felt loved by my teachers, who worked tirelessly to prepare engaging lessons for us. I felt loved by my classmates always, but especially when they gave me a group hug after I was the ONLY one to cry after we watched Old Yeller. Everyone in in this community from the teachers to the parents each contributed to an experience so unique, that I can never forget it. This community showed me what it means to be caring and compassionate and what it means to be valued and to value others.

Thank you, Mary, for your beautiful words!

And it wouldn't be Founders' Day without the traditional cake to celebrate. Happy Birthday, Grace!

Thank you to Grace parent Jenny O'Brien for taking photos of our celebration.