Part of what makes Stone Ridge so special is all the traditions. From Congé to Prize Day, Stone Ridge students, young and old, share the experience of the events that make Stone Ridge special. Some of the traditions integral to Stone Ridge as a school are Feast Wishes, Ring Day, Field Day, and Prize Day. My sister and I are the second generation of Stone Ridge students in my family, with my mom and her two sisters being the first. In order to understand the history of these traditions at our school, I interviewed my mom, Christina Osberg, class of 1994.
Feast Wishes
While Feast Wishes has always been a gift to the teachers at Christmas time, the structure has not always been the same. Now, the two big songs performed every year are Children, Go Where I Send Thee and The Twelve Days of Christmas. When my mom was in high school, they sang Il Est Né, which is a French song, and, of course, the classic Twelve Days of Christmas. Back in 1994, the tradition of the colored sweaters for each grade wasn’t established yet, and all the girls would just wear navy blue sweaters. Now, as most people in the Upper School know, freshmen wear yellow, sophomores wear red, juniors wear green, and seniors wear white with red tights.
Ring Day
Ring day is one of the most highly anticipated events of junior year, right behind Kairos. This was true when my mom went to Stone Ridge, except for the fact that Stone Ridge hadn’t gone on Kairos yet. It was still a big deal to propose to your ring sister, and you would check with all your friends to make sure you had different ones, but there was no big proposal back then; you just asked if they wanted to be your ring sister. The ceremony was in the chapel, and everyone wore their spring dresses, and your ring sister gave you your class ring. One part of ring day that hasn’t carried on to today is turning your class ring. For your graduation year, take ‘94 for example, you would have to get that number of people, so 94, to turn your ring on your finger, twisting it in a full circle, starting with your ring sister. Although this tradition has changed, the ring has stayed the same, with mine and my mom’s rings being identical aside from our initials and graduation year engraved on the inside.
Field Day
Father-Daughter Field Day is one of the first traditions I think of when I think of Stone Ridge. Ending the year outside with family and friends has always been the competitive event it is today. My mom didn’t initially remember it being very competitive, but her friends were quick to remind her that was because she was on the gold team, so she never had a chance anyway. Dads were invited for part of the day, but a good amount was also spent with friends, similar to how Field Day is today. The team loyalty still ran deep back then, with people being very loud and proud about being on either blue or gold team. Like today, they had Field Day t-shirts with a unique design each year.
Prize Day
Prize Day was pretty much the same back in 1994 as it is today. Dress uniform was required, with the white Oxford button-down and signature Stone Ridge kilt. Prize Day was in the gym, but there was only what we call Gym 1 today. The teachers would sit at one end, and the students would line the sides, as the prizes for each goal and subject were announced.
While some traditions have changed and developed over time, many of the important traditions at Stone Ridge have stayed rooted in the same basic ideas. Whether 1994 or 2025, the fundamental traditions based on the five goals connect Stone Ridge students across the years.
