Members of Penn Charter's Class of 2020 and their families returned to campus on Sunday, Aug. 15 for an evening of celebration and reunion after a senior year interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The event featured a cap-and-gown walk, a picnic with food trucks and games, a tree dedication and guided tours of PC's almost-complete Graham Athletics & Wellness Center.
After opening remarks from parent organizers, the young alumni walked across PC's graduation patio in their caps and gowns to shake hands with Head of School Darryl J. Ford, in a simulation of the traditional commencement ceremony. The group then settled in for Quaker Meeting, followed by the dedication of a tree planted on campus to honor the resilience of the Class of 2020.
"Clearly you have been able to adapt in all kinds of ways we never could have imagined," Ford said, addressing the group of OPCs. "You leave pieces of yourself here: your intelligence, your service, your athleticism, your activism, your artistic contributions and so much more. For all this we thank you." Members of the Class of 2020 then picked up shovels and backfilled the hole where the tree was planted.
The evening continued with some friendly competition on Maguire Field, where former classmates divided into their Blue and Yellow teams to take part in the Color Day tradition they missed -- the senior rope pull. A picnic followed, with lawn games, group photos and food from local trucks like Jose Pepe’s Mexican Express and the Gelato Truck.
To cap off the festivities, the Class of 2020 was treated to a sneak peak of Penn Charter's Graham Athletics & Wellness Center, soon to be completed. OPCs and their families toured the space in small groups led by members of the Physical Education department and paused to shoot hoops on one of the center's two basketball courts.
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