This year, Founder’s Day was moved to Friday, November 8, a week later than it has been scheduled in previous years.
Due to emergency construction, Colden Auditorium was unavailable on November 1, the day originally set for Founder’s Day. The rental manager of the Queens College Kupferberg Center for the Arts emailed the THHS administration, saying, “We are very sorry for this inconvenience, but the work being done requires extensive scaffolding, so we need to move the Colden events that conflict with the emergency work schedule.”
As a result, this Founder’s Day did not directly follow the end of spirit week as it has in previous years.
Some students expressed disappointment at the postponed date. “The fact that Founder’s Day [was] moved to the eighth made it lose its magic. When it’s at the end of Spirit Week, it feels like a closing ceremony for the entire week’s wacky clothes and hype,” said sophomore Daniel Song. On a more positive note, though, Daniel continued, “It isn’t that much of a bad thing because there now is a day to look forward to in the middle of November.”
Furthermore, Founder’s Day also no longer preceded the second evening of Parent- Teacher Conferences. “Founder’s Day did not coincide with Parent Teacher Conferences [only] three times in the last 18 years of my time at Townsend Harris,” remarked Assistant Principal of Organization Ellen Fee. “It seems tradition to have it be at the same time as conferences.”
However, other students were indifferent to the change. “Although it isn’t in spirit week, we can still celebrate Founder’s Day the same,” freshman Angelina Mccabe said. “[Founder’s Day] is a day to celebrate the founding of Townsend Harris [and] be with friends.”
“I think the bigger tradition is going out with friends while you’re all dressed up after Founders’ Day,” continued Ms. Fee. “Founder’s Day is the only time all of us get together at one time. It’s an important time of celebrating the past, finding purpose in the present, and anticipating the future of Townsend Harris.”
