Samantha Singman

Parents pose for a picture after the event.

To allow JDS parents to connect through conversation, according to the institutional advancement team, “S’more than a School” took place on October 26. After multiple years of hosting a parents’ gala entitled “Ignite the Light” to foster parental connection, the team decided to host a more casual event for a more comfortable environment.

Naomi Gerstenblith, mother of 6th grade student Levi Gerstenblith, 7th grade student Eden Gerstenblith and sophomore Ayla Gerstenblith, truly felt like a part of the JDS community as she walked into the cardo, surrounded by friendly faces.

Gerstenblith appreciated the opportunity of getting to meet new people from the community while enjoying food catered by Siena’s Restaurant and dessert spreads curated by the Upper School dining hall staff.

“Previous events that [JDS has] done, like this, have been more formal and fancy, so this was different,” Gerstenblith said. “I think it was nice. It made people feel comfortable and cozy.”

The school decided to plan a more casual event this year because they wanted to give parents an opportunity to connect without the pressure of dressing up, and in a more relaxed environment, according to Development Events Manager Michael Lurie.

“We decided to transition to something that was a little more accessible and more casual for parents,” Lurie said. “Just to get to know each other [and] as a way of saying, we should be investing in the parent community the same way the parent community invests in us.”

A part of what made the event so successful according to the attendees was that the time was fairly unstructured. There were spreads of food and desserts, and firepits set up outside of the school, and parents were given the time to chat with one another and build new relationships as well as strengthen old ones.

Lurie’s role in the planning process was to help with the logistics of programming, including organizing, catering and reserving the space for the event. As a new member of the JDS staff, Lurie appreciated the opportunity this event provided him to be involved in planning a larger community program. He also enjoyed seeing how friendly the parents were to others in the community during the event and found a deeper connection to JDS families.

In addition to JDS staff finding a strong community during the “S’more Than a School” program, Jonathan Olin, father of freshman Sam Olin and junior Max Olin, enjoyed the opportunity to connect with fellow parents.

“My wife and I both got to chat with some of our friends who we always enjoy seeing at school events, but also got a chance to meet parents of students that are in our kids’ classes who we didn’t know before,” Jonathan said.

Additionally, Jonathan believed that giving the parents name tags as they entered the event made it easier to relate to one another, because it made it easier to see who was in each child’s grade.

Jonathan, Lurie and Gerstenblith all agree that “S’more Than a School” was a successful event that brought the JDS community together, and hope that the event will be continued in the future.

“We want to show our support by putting together this gathering again to show our appreciation for [the parents],” Lurie said. “The fact that they are sending their kids to this school is amazing. They’re supporting this amazing Jewish community.”