Traditions

Each September, our student leaders return a day early, participate in training lead by the Head of School and Dean of Students, and attend the Leadership Reception. 

 

With big sisters (foxes) on one side and little sisters (kits) on the other, Grier takes the concept of a fox hunt and applies it to the foxes searching for their kits.  The foxes have stuffed animal foxes to give to their kits, and when it’s time, they rush to locate their kit on the other side!

 

In a ceremony on Opening Weekend led by the Head of School, Dean of Academics, and Dean of Students, girls pledge to uphold Grier School’s Honor Code, commit to the core values of the school, and follow our Green and Gold Handbook.

 

To kick off the start of the school year, we throw one big party!  Complete with fire dancers, face painting, balloon artists, food trucks, bounce houses, and a band, we kick off the year in style!

 

Our Gold Key members help with new student orientation, admissions tours, and are role models for our students.  

 

Each September, members of our 5^th grade class and members of our 12^th grade class gather by the Pineapple Pillars to put their handprints on the driveway in green and gold.  This symbolizes how important friendship, community, and sisterhood is here at Grier by including the youngest class and the oldest class.  This shows that we march, hand in hand, through time.

 

Senior Bell Ringing
On the first day of school, led by the Head of School, Dean of Academics, and College Counselor, our seniors ring the bell to start the year.  Each senior has her turn as she reflects on her last first day of school! 

 

Each September, members of our 5^th grade class are pinned in a special ceremony with their fox pin, highlighting their membership in our fox den.

 

On Fridays, we stay in and spend time with our Fox Family!   On-campus events vary, but they focus on the building of sisterhood and community.

We practice what we preach in our motto “Sound Mind in a Sound Body,” on our Sound Mind Sundays.  On Sundays, we offer transportation to area churches, mindfulness and yoga classes, photography classes, and speakers on health.  

 

Each September, our seniors gather on the soccer field to watch the sunrise and celebrate the beginning of their senior year.

Each year, students are separated into green and gold teams the participate in friendly competition, games, and fundraisers.   Green is supreme; gold is bold!  

Prefects are back on the dorm floors to help our resident advisors with various duties.  Leaders on the dorm floors, prefects embody responsibility, leadership, and a dedication to the Green and Gold rules. 

Mrs. Nicol Grier welcomes our middle schoolers for a classic tea party in 1853 to celebrate the start of the school year! 

 

Sisters in Stewardship is a leadership program that develops leadership in every Grier girl.   With various events and opportunities, Sisters in Stewardship highlights the importance of the sisterhood here at Grier and beyond.

 

Celebrated in October of every year, students gather together to eat festive foods and celebrate this traditional Chinese holiday.

 

Pumpkin pie, apple cider, oh my!  Our Parents’ Weekend Fall Festival is a classic, Pennsylvania favorite!  We welcome families on campus to spend the weekend with us and their daughters.

 

On Parents’ Weekend, seniors take their place on the suspended walkway for the one and only time in their career at Grier!  With the underclassman below them on the colonnade and on Lodge Porch, they raise their voices in honor of their Alma Mater.

 

Halloween is an important event at Grier School! Students parade in costumes throughout the school day, compete in a costume competition at extra help, and trick or treat on campus through the evening.  They even carve pumpkins in art class, decorate their dorm doors, and participate in ghoulish activities all day long!

 

In the classic tradition of Homecoming, Grier hosts a Bonfire with bonfire songs on Friday night and a Homecoming dance on Saturday night.

 

Friendship is such an important part of being a Grier girl that we devote entire days of it!  We watch movies, play games, and celebrate the sisterhood we have here.  Gratitude is key, and we take the time to show it!

On Thanksgiving Day, the Director’s family and the Head of School’s family eat dinner with our students at a classic, all-American Thanksgiving meal in our dining room complete with turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie!

 

This celebration brings the holidays to our campus!   With our historic sleigh from the 1800s as a centerpiece, students join our Head of School and other faculty members in putting the merry in Merry Christmas!

 

Stemming from a German tradition, students leave their shoes by their dorm door for St. Nick on the eve of December 5.    In the morning, they awake to find gold coins, oranges, and other snacks!

 

One of the largest trees on campus is lit in a classic tree lighting ceremony.  With carols around the tree led by members of our Select Singers Choir and Music Department Chair, the Head of School leads the entire school community participates in a countdown.   With plenty of hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, and even a surprise visit from Santa himself, this event is a school favorite!

With moon cakes and lanterns, we celebrate Lunar New Year with a celebration in our Living Room.   Everyone is in red and gold, and our students gift one another traditional envelopes with our Grier bucks

 

Gather your gal pals for a Valentine’s (Galentine’s) Day celebration!   With crafts, good food, and festive fun, we celebrate the various ways love shows up for us all day by day.

 

A surprise day off of school or a late start that can come at anytime of the year!

 

Twice a year, once in November and once in February, the Head of School and Dean of Academics sponsor a trip, free of charge, to students who qualify for the Head’s List. These students have earned A marks in all their core classes for the most recent marking period.

Celebrated on Easter Sunday, the Director’s family and the Head of School’s family host a traditional Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt on Lodge Lawn.

 

Students bond in this class-based all school trip to a local city.  Past cities have included Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh.

In April of every year, the Grier family throws one big party in celebration of the Grier family birthdays!   There are bounce houses, a petting zoo, and other festive fun!

In celebration of our Earth and our naturally beautiful campus, our students participate in a day of planting trees, trash collection, and trail hiking. 

It’s important to us that our girls are comfortable in their own skin!  This day helps our girls celebrate what makes them then, beyond looks or stereotypes.  With inspiring messages around campus and other events, we celebrate the uniqueness of each student with phrases like I AM brave, I AM smart, and I am beautiful.

With the top equestrian programs in the nation, Grier School celebrates the Kentucky Derby with an annual party, stylish hats, and themed foods.

 

Cinco de Mayo is marked with recognition of the day’s importance and culinary offerings.

 

Every May, the seniors pull a harmless prank on the faculty and staff.  Past pranks have included hallways filled with balloons, seniors sleeping in the auditorium, and other fun shenanigans!

What high school is complete without a prom?!   Together with the prom committee, seniors plan a night to remember!

 

To say goodbye to Grier, seniors all gather for one last sunset on the soccer field.

This event is an ode of love from faculty to graduating seniors as they recognize the way students have made a difference in their time at Grier.

 

Senior class members ring the bell to mark the conclusion of the school year.

 

Started in 2022 by Mrs. Nicol Grier, our Senior Getaway to a local and iconic resort, Bedford Springs, has become a favorite!  Seniors join the Dean of Students, the Head of School, and Mrs. Grier for this lovely getaway! 

A long-held tradition at Grier, Mrs. Grier hosts a senior breakfast on Ivy Court, complete with the school’s collection of vintage blue willow.   Here, seniors are given special gifts and make lasting memories.

 

With various activities including a food truck event, movie and treats night and a senior-server bonfire, seniors celebrate their final week at Grier School.  

 

Hosted by the Board of Trustees, graduating seniors, along with eight family members, attend a semi-formal dinner full of celebrations of seniors, gifts for them, and a handful of surprises for the families.

 

A tradition as old as the school itself, candlelight is reverent and beautiful.  Seniors gather with their servers on Ivy Court by the light of candles.  Symbolically, the seniors pass the light to their servers, symbolizing their end of time at Grier School.

In celebration of graduation, the Grier family hosts a breakfast in the school’s historic dining room.

In white dresses and carrying a dozen red roses, seniors walk down the colonnade under palm fronds to graduate on Lodge Porch.  

 

After commencement, families, graduates, servers, and faculty are invited to conclude congratulatory events with a communal luncheon.