Back to Normal for Surprise Holiday

When Groton’s senior prefects appeared in the traditional green after chapel on October 6, they signaled not only a much-anticipated Surprise Holiday and a break in routine, but also the first Surprise Holiday since 2019 with off-campus activities in Boston and Cambridge.

Senior prefects always devise creative ways to announce the special day each term. This time, they dressed in green and hid in a storage container outside the Schoolhouse, then popped out as students walked by. Spontaneous joy erupted.

Students then gathered for announcements in the Sackett Forum, where Headmaster Temba Maqubela was waiting in the green jacket—a Surprise Holiday icon. Later in the morning, students piled into buses to Boston and Cambridge and to a nearby mall. Fall weather in the 70s beckoned them to Back Bay and and Harvard Square, though some chose to stay on the Circle and relax. 

Surprise Holiday is not just a day off of classes each term or a chance to travel to the city with friends; it is Groton legend and tradition. It is the most anticipated day of the term—and boy was it nice to have it back.

“The last real Surprise Holiday we had was when I was in Third Form, and now I'm prefecting the Third Form,” said Senior Prefect Maya Luthi ’23. “So seeing them getting excited when they heard rumors was really fun.”

Groton School has been moving back toward normalcy after strict COVID protocols. “This Surprise Holiday is evidence that Groton is back to normal … honoring all the traditions, the way it should be,” said Headmaster Temba Maqubela. “Happy Surprise Holiday!”