By Sophie Christoff and Isabel McFarland
The Roses and first graders have formed a sisterhood through collaboration and a shared love for dance. While this partnership aims to create a dance for the Winter Concert, both the Roses and Rosebuds have gained much more from the experience.
The Roses first welcomed the Rosebuds by making matching necklaces using rose and rosebud themed charms, respectively. Spending time on this craft gave the dancers time to learn more about each other and become friends.
The dancers have been learning and rehearsing a dance to “Cover Me in Sunshine” by PINK and creating choreography for group sections. This dance will be recorded and played at the Upper School Dance Concert in January. First-grade teacher Mrs. Briggs says that “Not only do they discuss the collaboration with their friends, they practice and sing too.” As the first graders walk through the Upper School hallways, they often say hello to their Roses. “The first graders literally squeal with excitement when we announce to them at our morning meeting that there will be a practice with the Roses that day,” she says.
Similarly, first grader, Zoey Sisson, says, “We have been really excited for us to dance with everyone.” Rosebud, Zoey says, when talking about her rose Blessing Darden, “I look up to her a lot because she’s a really good dancer.” Zoey’s mother, Lindsay Sisson, also adds: “She looks up to the Roses in so many ways. She sees potential in herself by dancing with the Roses. She feels like she has a sisterhood looking out for her in a lot of ways. She talks about Blessing in a way that she’s got someone, like a big sister, looking out for her. It’s so great to see.” Mrs. Sisson says, “The ways in which our young kids are touched by this relationship is really extraordinary.”
This relationship also positively impacts the Roses. Garrison Morrill, a senior, has attended RPCS since pre-first. She says, “When I was in lower school I had that same adoration for the Roses, I always wanted to be a Rose after opening day, so it’s fun to now be that role model for them.” Morrill says, “Being a Rose is really special to me. I think Roses stands for a great community with a group of girls that empower each other. Dance is challenging, so having other Roses support me in the dance studio lets me know I can always rely on them, even outside of the dance studio. We all come together to share our love and passion for dance.”
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