October 27, 2013

Greetings!

This week we take a look back at our very special celebration of Founder's Day, held this past Wednesday. It is traditions like these that provide the solid foundation for our wonderful school.

See more photos from the program and the tree planting ceremony.

The Swain Band kicked things off,

for the first time under the direction of Caitlin Worrich, our new Band Director.

The history of The Swain School was shared by

eighth grader Brooke Wilten, in her thoughtful

remarks.

The Swain School had its beginnings in 1929, when

D. Esther Swain opened a small Kindergarten with "eight likeable boys and girls" in a small rented bedroom -

in 1951 we moved to our present campus, with a current enrollment of over 320.

Since 2006, Swain's Board of Trustees has honored a member of the Swain community with its "Trustee Award for Community Service".

This year's recipient is Judith P. Skinner, our Associate Head for Advancement. In addition to her many contributions to Swain, Judy has headed several boards in the Lehigh Valley area and donated her talents to a host of other organizations.

In her remarks, she announced the establishment of a fund named in her honor, devoted to supporting professional development opportunities for Swain's trustees, and she is donating the first $10,000 to this fund.

It wouldn't be a Swain program without vocal music, and the Swain Chorus - comprised of our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders - obliged with their version of "Of Thee I Sing", under the direction of Bonnie McClintock Cohen.

A more recent addition to our Founder's Day program is the Honor Pinning ceremony, in which all Kindergarten students and those new to Swain (including faculty and staff) receive their Honor pin. Everyone in the audience then recited the Honor Pledge together:

As a member of the Swain community,

to honor myself and my school,

I pledge to be honest and show respect

as I strive for academic excellence.

I will take responsibility for my actions

and help others to do the same.

After the program, Swain's 'lifers' - those who have attended our school from Preschool-8th grade, rang the old school bell as everyone moved to the tree-planting ceremony. From left: Thomas, Harrison, Amy, Elektra, Eric, Luke, Aaron and Dewi.

When Mrs. Swain first laid eyes on the property at 1100 South 24th Street, it was a 22 acre alfalfa field. A lover of trees, she initiated the first Founder's Day ceremony in October, 1951, to coincide with United Nations Day. Every year since then we have planted at least one tree in her honor.

This year's tree was donated by Tom and Kimberly Ike in honor of their sons, Harrison '14 (left) and Davis '17 (throwing a ceremonial shovel-full of dirt with Mr. Stansbery, using Mrs. Swain's original shovel). Then each class had a representative add more dirt to the small dogwood, which is along the entrance drive to the school.

If your family is interested in donating a tree for future Founder's Day events, please contact Judy Skinner at 610-433-4542, ext. 118 or jskinner@swain.org.

1100 South 24th Street Allentown, PA 18103
610-433-4542

www.swain.org

The Swain School

1100 South 24th Street

Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103