EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Today, we think of such extra activities as a given in the Middle School.We have electives and clubs and have been offering them for years. In the late 1990’s through the spring, 2002, I recall teaching electives during first period-- from the western film to Alfred Hitchcock. As a movie buff who became hooked at an early age, I have always relished talking about movies to anyone who would listen-- I wonder why people run away from me.
When I came to Graland, afternoon activities were not as plentiful as they are now -- we did have cooking in the old Upper School kitchen that doubled as a faculty lounge plus, the Thesaurus(the school yearbook), The Sentinel( the student newspaper), The Literary Review, typing, jewelry making, courtroom law, art & crafts, etc.
According to Tuck Ganzenmuller, a former head of Upper School, the school discovered in the late 60’s, “Traditional academic curriculum was insufficient in providing a viable outlet for student needs and feelings. Without losing sight of Graland’s strong academic program, curricular and extracurricular activities were made with careful planning, to bolster morale, improve faculty-student relations, and maintain a positive, warm environment of cooperation.”
In addition to the afternoon activity periods, the school began to offer Life Education classes and began a series of overnight field trips, the forerunner of our current trip program in the Middle School. More on trips of that era in my next installment of school history.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
