Traditions

At the conclusion of the 2009-2010 school year, WIS introduced a new tradition: The Twenty-One Society. A plaque on the wall of the Mansion Foyer celebrates the faculty and staff who have worked at WIS for 21 years or more. 

Individuals in bold still work at WIS; individuals in italics are deceased.

In the spring of 2017, the Middle School introduced a House Program. Looking for new ways to engage the students, and keeping the Middle School Motto (Explore, Connect, Empathize, Create) in mind, six Houses have been created; each House includes an Advisory from each of the Middle School grades.

Each House is in competition to hold the House Cup, which is awarded at the end of each academic quarter. The Cup is a large trophy with the House Creed engraved on it:

Unite across grade levels.
Participate fully.
Be good sports.
Honor your house identity.

Sports Day began in 1983 thanks to Pat Rumbaugh, former tennis coach and physical education instructor at WIS. The main goal is to build community among grade levels and learn how to work as a team.

Sixteen teams (made up of students in every grade of Middle and Upper School and various faculty and staff) participate in a variety of games and activities to try and win points and bragging rights for the rest of the year. While new activities are added each year (including the 2018 addition of a maker-inspired challenge), the most popular games are still building a human pyramid and the final game of the day: tug-of-war.

On Halloween, Primary School students are allowed to wear their costumes to school and participate in an outdoor parade around Duke Ellington High School (weather permitting). Parents often stay after drop-off to watch the parade and take photos, and neighbors get to enjoy the clever costumes!

In November, WIS parents gather in the Tregaron Mansion for an international pot-luck. Attendees are asked to bring an entree, side dish, or dessert that represents their culture, creating a feast of nations. 

Parents are key to this Tregaron tradition! A dedicated group of volunteers cooks and serves lunch to the Tregaron community. Even poor weather doesn't stop them; much like the US Postal Service, they are there through rain, sleet, snow, and overwhelming heat to sell burgers, hot dogs, salmon, salads, deserts, and weekly specials to our students, faculty, and staff.

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Primary School students welcome special guests to their classrooms. Students can invite their grandparents or other special people in their lives to the Primary School for an assembly and snacks. After the assembly, students bring their guests to their classrooms, where they complete an activity together. It's a wonderful way to begin Thanksgiving break!

Several times a year, WISPA (WIS Parents Association) provides lunch for the WIS faculty and staff on both campuses, usually on days when parent-teacher conferences are held. They also organize holiday luncheons for faculty and staff before everyone departs for Winter Break. 

Each year on February 14, WIS Seniors like to spread cheer and love (and maybe disrupt classes) throughout the Tregaron campus. They dress in varying shades of red and pink, decorate their faces, and don colorful accessories to deliver candy, flowers, balloons, and songs to students and staff.

To brighten the lives of the teachers who dedicate so much time and energy to our primary school students, one day each spring parents bring in armloads of flowers and arrange a vase to deliver to each classroom. This tradition was expanded to the Tregaron Campus beginning in 2021.

A Middle School rite-of-passage is the annual language trip, which takes place right before Spring Break in March. Students and faculty depart for ten days of immersion in France or Spain. Students are hosted by the correspondents they met in the fall, when they visited Washington for their language trips! Students often cite these trips as one of the highlights of their WIS careers.

One of the most popular items up for grabs at the annual WIS auction is the chance for a Primary School student to become Principal for a day! Each year, the student who wins this special treat spends the entire day with the Primary School Principal, learning what it's like to run a successful school! They may get to make announcements over the PA system, call for extra recess for their classmates, visit offices where students don't normally have access, and meet students in every grade.

On a Friday afternoon in May, Grade 5 students and their families have historically headed to the Tregaron gym for the annual basketball or soccer game against their parents and WIS faculty members. The students also raise money by selling snacks and asking for donations. Some of these funds contribute to a class gift to the Primary School; the remainder are donated to a non-profit organization chosen by the students.

The Class of 2022 helped to launch a new end-of-year tradition during the week leading up to Graduation. All seniors attended a Brunch with the Head and Associate Head of School; the brunch included a look back at lifers' experiences from their Primary School days. Then, with the fresh reminder of their younger selves, the seniors headed off to the Primary School to spend time with the Early Years students.

As their last official event as WIS students, Grade 12 Graduation is full of the students' personal touches. Each year, the students vote on the color of the gowns they will wear, the processional and recessional music, and the members of their class who will speak and perform during the ceremony. Additionally, flags that represent the graduates' nationalities are hung throughout the gym. After receiving their diplomas, graduates sign "the book," which hold the names of every WIS graduate in the School's history.