Every year at Founders’ Day the Unquowa community gathers to enjoy an afternoon filled with friends, good food and fun. This year the weather was glorious, the turnout our best ever, the farm-to-fork barbeque delicious, the eighth grade activities a blast and the announcements exciting. A highlight every year is having so many alumni return to reconnect with each other, the school and their former teachers…this year they joined us in record numbers!

Our most recent alums from the Class of 2013 joined us in large numbers to help with the inaugural raising of Unquowa’s new school flag, their class gift to the school. Before gathering together to all have a hand on the rope to raise it on the front lawn flagpole, Sharon Lauer welcomed everyone with a few words. She described how, last spring when they were still eighth graders and preparing for their graduation, the Class of 2013 spent a long time thinking about what to give as their class gift and, once they decided to give a school flag, they were very careful in their selection of the design. They chose the classic drawing of the school’s building because, as they explained, “Unquowa is our second home.” Powerful symbolism indeed!

This was followed by the dedication of the Grabe Technology Lab, with deep gratitude to the Grabe family (parents Doug and Daneen, grandparents Bill and Joan and Unquowans Nicole ’11 and Derek ’14) for their generous support of the school through The Campaign for Unquowa. Then Joan Panagos, VP of the Board of Governors and Chair of The Campaign for Unquowa, announced that the Board and Sharon Lauer and given the “green light” to the next phase of campus improvement project this summer – the complete renovation of the dining room! Make sure you contact the school to make plans to come by Unquowa for lunch to check it out next fall!