In the snowy and cold month of December, windows across the Parker campus are coated with freshly painted layers depicting a vast array of images and words. This year, however, there was a twist: windows were painted in April. 

On April 24th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., freshmen entering the building were greeted with a blue paper bag. Inside the bag were paint brushes and tools they might need for the event, and individual materials were also a safety measure. Unlike years in the past, the window painting event was not holiday themed, it instead had four themes, which freshmen could choose from: faculty and staff appreciation, senior celebration, frontline workers appreciation, and the Parker community. Upper School Dean of Student Life Joe Bruno attended the entire event. “The highlight was that we were able to recreate the event, in a safe, fun, thought out way, and most importantly, in celebration of our community,” Bruno said.  Bruno also described where each themed window can be located throughout the school. “Parker Community windows are displayed in the cafeteria, [windows] celebrating the class of 2021 are displayed on the third and fourth floors, [windows celebrating] frontline workers are the main lobby, and faculty and staff appreciation are down the admin hallway,” Bruno said.  

The organization of the event was different from years past. First, there were COVID-19 protocols that were practiced, such as mask wearing, temperature checks, and social distancing, to ensure the safety of the event. There were five different time slots during the day where students could sign up and bring two guests during those shifts and decorate a window. Students were assigned a designated spot to paint a window. “Not only was it spread out for safety reasons over five shifts, but it was also then spread out again over four floors, so at most we had maybe two to three people on each floor painting,” Bruno said. Because each family had their own bag with brushes, they were able to keep them after the event was over, a change to the window painting event from the past. “We told families you could take the brushes and all of the supplies home, so we weren’t having a lot of waste,” Bruno said. 

Cory Zeller, Upper School English Teacher, explained the preparation process which took several days. “It was certainly more time intensive this year, but I do think everyone felt safe, which allowed people to then relax, which allowed people to then have fun,” Zeller said. 

Usually, food and treats are provided for the people participating in the event. However, as the coronavirus safety measures were a priority, no food was served. Instead, families had the opportunity to take home a goodie bag after their spring window painting experience. 

Some elements of this year’s format might be used in the future. “I think the way we did it this year was great, and I love the idea of every family getting a supply bag when they come in, so I think that’s something we might keep on the table. I mean, who doesn’t love a goodie bag?” Bruno said. 

Zeller described a takeaway from the window painting event this year. “What I learned from this year is creative pivots, in the same way that I would say the school, as a progressive school is always adapting to the moment. What I loved about this event as an example of that, is that we pivoted to meet the needs of the year, and I think that’s what we should do going forward, that it doesn’t always have to look exactly the same, but it’s accomplishing the purpose of a community event,” Zeller said. 

Bruno commented on the format of the event and how it compared to the formats of previous years.  

“The event in its original format is probably the most community centered, and I think that’s the goal of the event: to make friends and create community, but that happened this year just in a different way,” Bruno said. 

Freshman Danni Kaplan described the event. “Window painting was really fun and a great experience. It was nice to see people with their families and see the school windows covered in designs that people made with their family,” Kaplan said. Like many freshmen, Kaplan had to decide what to paint. “I painted for the essential workers section because I felt it was important to give back to them since they have been amazing during the pandemic,” Kaplan said. 

Zeller and Bruno reflected on the experience as a whole. Some parents have never met each other due to the pandemic, and the event allowed for more people to interact. “Moments like this I would say that I really see the community part of the school,” Zeller said.  “It was not only safe, which is the most important thing, but it also allowed students to come in, and take part in a really special Parker tradition,” Bruno said.