It’s so often at SSFS that we ask ourselves what really makes our school unique. Students, like faculty, try to answer the question. Incoming students wonder what exactly about the school captivated them. Families of current students try to put their finger on the dynamic experiences SSFS offers. We work to put all of it into words. But Tom Gibian, Head of School, said it best at the first 2016-17 all-school assembly: “What makes Sandy Spring Sandy Spring? The community.”

As a school, there are a lot of ways we connect our community. The Farm-to-Table Dinner and Empty Bowl events bring together families across the divisions for nights of good food and local entertainment. Laps for Lexi raises money for cancer in honor of a community member through an early-morning 5k run and 1 mile walk. In the spring, Earth Stewardship Day reminds students and faculty of our responsibility to the environment, in a day of on-campus service. Yet, of all the events and traditions SSFS shares, nothing says community like Community Day.

A long-standing tradition, Community Day has evolved from a service-packed outing to an on-campus community building and activity day. In the 1980s and 1990s, Community Day took on the form of Mountain Day: a day when students and faculty left campus to hike a local hill, performing some service along the way. The event has since seen major changes and now includes a range of activities students and faculty look forward to every year. The all-important family group banners are great sources of pride. Similarly, groups look forward to the opportunity to transform our school buses into gleaming masterpieces. Later in the day, Morley Games make an appearance and family groups compete in rounds of Frazleerham and Captain’s Calling. The day ends with an aerial photo of the whole school spelling out “SSFS” and the school year.

As for Community Day 2016, Representative to Community and Traditions Marzi Branyan acknowledged the planning for new service activities. For her, Community Day is always a fun opportunity to connect with other divisions and to “meet the next generation of Springers.”

Re-invigorating Sandy Spring is at the core of events like Community Day. It is these events that strengthen our bonds as a community and bring us closer as a family.