The entire student body gathers every Monday morning for assembly. This shared community time is an opportunity to highlight student achievements and announce campus news. Student Council members might present a skit; 8th graders deliver speeches, and teachers spotlight special student moments. We regularly invite speakers to assembly to highlight special occasions and expose students to a wide variety of topics.
Spirit Days, sponsored by the Parents’ Council, occur two to three times throughout the year. Students are encouraged to dress in team colors, and the days typically end with a rousing volleyball or basketball game where our 8th grade students face a faculty team. The stands fill with the rest of the student body, parents, and a young alum or two usually show up as well! You are sure to be able to hear cheering all the way down the block on Spirit Days!
If you have ever visited the Charleston Day School gym, you’ve noticed the “people on the walls.” In a tradition that dates back decades, the 8th grade graduating class paints a mural of their class without faces to leave at the school. Take a look at all the 8th grade class murals around campus.
Each year, the Parents’ Council plans, organizes and delivers a spectacular Halloween carnival for Charleston Day School students. The day begins by inviting all students to wear their costumes to school. Prior to the start of the carnival events, kindergarteners through 3rd graders walk to Canterbury House and perform for the residents. And, our costume contest judges circulate through the school assessing the multitude of creative costumes in every grade level. After an all-school assembly recognizing best costumes in a variety of categories, students explore our spooktacular all-campus Halloween Carnival full of face painting, bull riding, bounce slides, game booths, and more.
Charleston Day opens the first day of the school each year by gathering the whole school in the parking lot to raise the American flag and sing the National Anthem. An 8th grade student selected by the faculty has the honor of raising the flag signifying the start of the new school year. During the flag raising ceremony, we acknowledge the new group of 8th graders as they assume their role as the leaders of the school.
Students shake hands with our Head of School as they walk through the entrance to the school each morning. They make eye contact and start the day with a personal greeting. This helps set the tone for the close community we strive to provide.
One of the 8th grade privileges is the opportunity for our oldest students to leave campus for lunch every Friday during their 8th grade year. The class breaks into small groups and heads to various quick lunch spots within walking distance of the campus. Teachers accompany each group of students. Both teachers and students enjoy the weekly tradition as it provides another way to build close connections.
