Less than 2 months before our scheduled 2020 Grandparents and Special Friends Day in-person event, our school campus closed due to the pandemic. We quickly pivoted, reimagined the event, and created a website-based Virtual Grandparents and Special Friends Day that was simple to navigate, engaging, and joyful. We were able to show highlights of our virtual classrooms, share the values and excellence of our institution, and create connections between grandparents and students. Guests around the world were able to “attend” and navigate the website in their time zone in their homes. With this innovation, we were able to expand the reach of our event by including all grade 7-12 grandparents, and provide insight into both of our campuses—whereas in the past, we have invited guests only to our middle school campus (7-9) because our high school campus is less simple to navigate. After we completed the project, we invited parents, alumni, and parents of alumni to experience the site as a communications outreach touch in order for our entire community to see the faces of our students and faculty, and to appreciate the purpose and possibilities that exist at Harvard-Westlake School, even during unusual times.
From the Judges
Excellent opportunity for grandparents (and special friends) to be able to experience school with their grandchildren in a virtual setting. The variety of unique class options, the design of the website, and the "fun factor" brought the event to life. Great execution and teamwork for a successful project.
