September 23, 2015 at 1:14 p.m.
Students show their grandfriends around NCES
Students show their grandfriends around NCES
By Kayla Thomason-
Joanne Szczepanski, grandmother of student Ethan Clairmore, has attended Grandfriends Day for the past two years.
She said she likes the fact that the school has a day for grandfriends, as parents are usually invited to events.
"(I like) to see what my grandson does and how he does things, and the fact that he said he was excited because he knew I was coming today," she said. "Unfortunately, his other grandma wasn't able to be here but he was excited."
Szczepanski said she likes how relaxed and less structured this year's Grandfriend's Day was.
Ethan was happy to have his grandmother visit.
He showed his her his superb climbing abilities on the playground.
"I like to climb and hang upside down and I like to play with her," he said. "I'd (also) like to say I love my grandma Joanne."
Ethan enjoys playing badminton with his grandma, he said.
Szczepanski wasn't the only grandfriend who was enjoying every minute she had with her grandchild.
Mary Parmeter has attended the event for the past five years. She is the grandmother of Olivia and Cody Ruetz. Olivia is a first grader and Cody is a fifth grader.
"It's nice for the kids to appreciate their grandparents and I think it makes the grandparents feel really good," Parmeter said.
Olivia made a handprint with pink paint on paper and Cody made a tent with a sleeping bag in it.
"(The tent is) about six inches squared so I'm going to have a little trouble getting in the sleeping bag but I'll do my best," Parmeter said with a grin.
She said she was pleased that Grandfriend's Day is offered at NCES.
"Mostly it's just spending the time with them, I spend quite a lot of time with them anyway, but there might be grandparents here that work and they don't have that opportunity," she said.
Olivia said she enjoyed spending time with her grandmother, probably as much as her grandmother enjoyed spending time with her and her brother.
"(I like that) I get to spend time with my grandma and grandpa," she said.
She enjoyed showing her grandparents all the cool things she's done so far this school year.
NCES has hosted Grandparent's Day in the past, but changed the name this year to Grandfriend's Day to make it more user-friendly.
Tim Howell, principal of NCES, said the school has 130 students in it and he saw about that many grandfriends.
"A lot of (the students) are showing (the grandparents) the playground because that's what (the students) enjoy the most," Howell said.
Besides playing outside and being little tour guides, the children showed their grandfriends Bob the Hodag, a cartoon character based on the famous Hodag.
Bob the Hodag is from the book "I Brought a Hodag to School," by Thomas Barnett.
There was also a book signing.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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