Parents graduate, too!
On June 7, nearly the entire 8th-grade parent community came together at the home of Mallory Rome to celebrate this milestone moment in our lives as families of the Rashi Community. We were all marking a special time together! Some of us were graduating with many decades of being Rashi parents, and some are still part of the current parent community. We came together to celebrate EVERYONE!
The thought behind this inaugural milestone parent celebration evolved from a conversation with three grade parents recognizing that this was a family graduation in many instances and not just simply another 8th-grade graduation. We thought the ideal time to host such an event would be prior to Rashi graduation when we celebrate and hear reflections from our children. So we (Marianne, Marla, and Judith) went to work coordinating, inviting and discussing with the Rashi Development team the content for the evening of celebration. Mallory hosted us along with many Rashi staff in her lovely home and shared words of congratulations.
Marla shared, “I became overwhelmed with emotion and wondered about creating a space to honor and recognize our graduating class together. Rashi has been more than just a “community” for many of us, especially those without local Boston family like myself. Rashi has been a place where we have found some of our dearest friends and has been a type of “home” and “extended family” for many years.”
Marianne commented that “Now 18 years later we look back at what our three kids have gained from being part of Rashi and what we have gained from being part of this community. What has made the Rashi community special is not just the classes, teachers and administrators but it’s us — the parents!”
Before more mingling and concluding the evening, Judith shared that there is some exciting Alumni parent planning in the works to continue to build on this vibrant Rashi community and that we welcome anyone interested in participating with us as we strategize on next steps.
We concluded the evening with a Shehechyanu blessing led by Nancy Zimmerman and Rabbi Smith and toasted this remarkable milestone in our lives. Many thanks to the entire Development staff for their wonderful collaboration in helping us launch this inaugural parent event and in particular to Kim Stone for her tremendous efforts.
Warm regards,
New Alumni Parents
Marianne Paley-Nadel, Marla Rosenbloom, and Judith Sydney