The May Day Court
Three generations of May Day participants
Celebrating May Day
May Day smiles at GPS
Alyson Parris, president and leader of the GPS Student Council, stood on the front lawn and acknowledged Middle and Upper School students, dancers, faculty, family, and friends as she reigned as the 2016 May Queen on Wednesday.
The 102nd year of May Day is somewhat more elaborate than the first, simple event in 1914. After a two-year hiatus during World War I, May Day continued in different locales, including Signal Mountain and Jackson Park. Since 1947, however, May Day has been held on the GPS campus except for two years when moves were necessitated by campus construction.
Now, a noon festival begins with a sixth-grade dance presentation, followed by a variety of food offerings for sale by clubs and organizations on the crowded patio. Head of the Upper School, Jenise Gordon, welcomed visitors at 2 p.m. and then she introduced the members of the Class of 2016, including members of the Senior May Day Committee led by Emma Noles, and the May Day Court, Maid of Honor, and Queen.
Tradition and legacy are part of the history of Girls Preparatory School. Senior Cameron Ford wore a dress handed down from her grandmother’s and mother’s own May Days. Zoe Rustand is the fourth generation to participate in the event.
Following the senior presentation and promenade, the audience enjoyed student-choreographed dances set to the theme of “May Day Matinee” and music from the movies Footloose, The Sound of Music, Top Gun, Ghostbusters, and Singin’ in the Rain. The traditional winding of the blue, yellow, and pink May Poles by members of the sophomore class and the singing of the Alma Mater concluded the event.
Whereas the May Queen in 1914 was chosen because she had the longest hair, today’s queen and court are chosen by the following criteria: Members of the court are representative in the “highest sense” of the ideals of the school, and they are chosen in part because of the positive contributions they make in all areas of school life.In addition to Queen Alyson Parris, members of the Court were Caroline West, Zoe Rustand, Charlotte Whitfield, Hannah Faith Greene, Rachel Raisin, Story DeWeese, and McKinley Self.