Episcopal Identity
As an Episcopal school, we honor the dignity and worth of every person and welcome students and families of all faith traditions and backgrounds. We see children as capable, curious, creative, and worthy of being heard. Our Episcopal tradition also calls us to lives of meaning, compassion, service, and justice.
At Grace, our Episcopal identity and Reggio Emilia-inspired approach reinforce one another; both call us to embrace children as capable, thoughtful people whose voices and contributions matter. We see this alignment come to life each Wednesday morning in our student-led PreK-Grade 5 Chapel, open to all Grace families and friends.
Weekly Chapel
In alignment with the children’s Sunday Service at our founding parish, Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring, children help lead Chapel services. Each week, a different class leads, performing music, serving as acolytes, carrying the cross, candles, and Peace Book in procession and recession. Most importantly, they work with their homeroom teacher and our Chaplain to consider what they want to pray for in their community and the world, then write the prayers they will offer during Chapel.
Through these prayers, we often glimpse the remarkable depth of children’s thinking: what they notice, what they wonder about, whom they hold in their hearts, and what they hope might be different. Their words reveal their tremendous capacity for empathy and love, and remind us how much our world needs the compassion, curiosity, and hope they embody.
Chapel is not simply something children attend;
it is something they help create.
Our Chaplain offers a homily connected to the readings and life of our community, inviting children to ask questions, share their thinking, and reflect together. Chapel becomes a space for reflection, connection, and Wonder; for Purpose, as children take meaningful responsibility for their community; and for Belonging, as their voices, ideas, and presence are valued.
Each Chapel also includes a birthday blessing. Children and adults celebrating birthdays that week are invited forward to receive a blessing from Ms. Danish and the gathered community—a powerful expression of what it means to be seen fully, held by community, and loved wholly.
At Grace, students learn to care for one another and the world around them, building the empathy, courage, curiosity, and sense of purpose they need to participate fully in a diverse and changing world. In this way, faith and learning meet in the questions we ask, the relationships we build, and the ways we choose to care for our community and our world.