Swinging into Action: Class of 2033 Turns Friendly Letter into Playground Reality

Dear Mrs. Walker, 
We want swings to replace tetherball. We think we should replace it because people get hurt and it always breaks down. 
Love, 2F and 2A

This is what the Class of 2033 wrote to Kent Place’s Primary School Director, Kim Walker, as part of a “friendly letter writing” workshop in the fall of 2022. The students had recently learned all of the components of writing a friendly letter — greeting, body, closing, and signature — and used this knowledge to advocate for change.

“We empower our students to advance the world, and for our Primary School students, much of their world exists right here at Kent Place. We want to support them to make positive changes, and for our second-graders, that became the Swing Grove,” says second-grade teacher Gina Ferraioli ’03.

The then second-graders, with help from Ms. Ferraioli, formally pitched their idea to Mrs. Walker. The students also assisted in fundraising for the project through events such as the Primary School’s used-book sale. And over the next two years, Kent Place’s Swing Grove jumped from a request on paper to reality.

“I’m really proud to see the Swing Grove come to life. This really shows how Kent Place encourages us to be confident in our ideas,” says Gemma Smith ’33.

“We’re excited that this is happening after writing the letter to Mrs. Walker two years ago,” says Savannah Terhune ’33. “The Swing Grove gives students a chance to try something new on the playground and have fun together.”

On the morning of Friday, November 15, the Class of 2033, alongside Ms. Ferraioli, Mrs. Walker, and Head of School Dr. Galambos — with the rest of the Primary School in attendance — conducted an official ribbon-cutting, and the Swing Grove was declared “ready for play!” The fourth-graders proudly took the ceremonial first swing, then their schoolmates, smiling and laughing, joined in.