The smile market was glutted at South Side Elementary’s cafeteria last Thursday, and for good reason: It was grandparents’ day. They came from at least as far away as Bowling Green, Ky., for the once-a-year chance to eat lunch with their beloved grandkids on a day that was all about one of life’s most special relationships.
“The kids love it,” South Side Principal Anne Littleford said of the annual event, which was already well-established when she took the principalship four years ago. “It’s just special to them.”
So too, apparently, do the grandparents. They responded in such numbers that anyone who hadn’t pre-registered was welcome to visit Thursday, but wouldn’t be getting in on the popcorn chicken tenders, baked beans and green salad served up by cafeteria manager Victoria Orndrusek and her staff.
Full lunch tray or brown bag, it didn’t seem to matter on a beautiful, sunny late summer day. More than 100 grandparents streamed in, with more to come Friday as third and fourth graders would get in on the action. But it’s the little ones still new to the entire school experience who seem to get the most out of what Littleford called “a perfect program.”
“I just love it,” she said. “I love seeing the kindergarteners with their grandparents. They’re the most excited.”
