Traditions
Many of the activities at ACS date back to the very earliest days of the school. These much-anticipated events become milestones for the students, and form some of the fondest memories for alumni. They also provide valuable opportunities for students, teachers, staff, and parents to gather together for friendship and fun.
All-School Traditions
Halloween Parade – Students young and old are at their creative best, bringing smiles, gasps, and groans to the happy onlookers.
Thanksgiving Program – Dating back to 1929, students create a beautiful living tableau of fruits and vegetables, share songs of joy and gratitude, and collect and donate food to needy organizations.
Holiday Presentations & Sing-a-Long – On the joyous day before Winter Break, faculty and staff perform skits and sing songs, then the whole school joins in with holiday favorites.
Shakespeare & Greek Fests – Middle School students entertain their families and younger colleagues with dramatic performances, period costumes, games, projects and food from, in alternate years, Shakespearean England and ancient Greece.
Spring Fair – Picnic lunches, student dances, fun and games, and the traditional Maypole—there is something good for everyone!
Grandparents' Day – A day filled with food, song, and classroom fun for the extended family.
Group Traditions
First Group – Students take to the stage at an early age, dressing as their favorite circus animals and performers to the delight of their families and schoolmates.
Second Group – The tapping of maple trees, one of the greatest of ACS traditions, is a long and exciting process of sap gathering and boiling, followed by the sweet payoff—maple syrup for everyone!
Third Group – Learning to be individuals together, the students share the fabulous Learning Spaces, and travel to Wisconsin for an overnight field trip filled with nature study and bonding experiences.
Fourth Group – The past comes alive as students present a Native American Fair, and tour the Coonley Estate, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Jens Jensen.
Fifth Group – The first year of Middle School culminates with the creation of an Egyptian mastaba, as well as the Maypole dance at Spring Fair.
Sixth Group – The students become the world—eight different cultural groups, complete with stories, decorations, food, and song, come together at the annual World's Fair.
Seventh Group – After the challenges and successes of Science Fair, the students celebrate with a fun, action-packed class trip to Washington, D.C.
Eighth Group – Ethnic Fair, the class trip to Quebec (speak French only, please!), the Eighth Group play, the day at Great America—so many memories packed into the students' culminating year!
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