Birthday cake? Check! Balloons? Check! Happy Birthday Songs? Check!
Campus was all abuzz last Friday in honor of Head of School Jay Rainey who celebrated his half-century birthday with plenty of Ram jubilee. Although Mr. Rainey’s birthday fell on Sunday, December 13, MICDS students, faculty, and staff didn’t miss a beat in commemorating his special day a little bit early!
To his surprise, the day was packed with fun well-wishes for the new quinquagenarian. Lower Schoolers made him a birthday sign where they each shared a birthday message on a cut-out balloon. They also played on the field in PE to the sound of birthday music. The Upper School Women’s Choir sang “Happy Birthday” to Mr. Rainey on the back patio of Olson Hall. Middle School Spanish students sang “Feliz Cumpleaños,” and even our Upper School Strings students performed the “Happy Birthday” song in Brauer.
FLIK, our food services provider, prepared some sweet treats for the day. FLIK Executive Chef Ryan Luke did a phenomenal job creating and designing the Ram-styled cake for our Head of School. While donning a “Welcome to 50!” hat, Mr. Rainey waved out his “50” candles before enjoying the delicious dessert in his honor. FLIK also provided cake in each dining hall as part of Friday’s lunch for all to enjoy.
The Alumni and Development Office did some research and found Mr. Rainey’s high school senior yearbook page. They recreated the page for this new type of “senior” yearbook spotlight, bringing a smile to the Head of School’s face.
Of course, there were plenty of decorations to go around! Part of our Head of School’s office was filled knee-high with balloons. Big “50” balloons could be seen in front and behind Olson Hall. He was also given a Rams jersey with, you guessed it, the number 50! Additionally, throughout the day, all were invited to wish Mr. Rainey well for his big 5-0 via email, cards, video messages, or by popping into an open Zoom room.
To top everything off, trustee and alum Jeff Giles ’94 set off fireworks from his home which just so happens to be near MICDS. It’s certainly not every birthday that you get to celebrate your new age with such a bang!
To all who helped coordinate these festivities for our beloved Head of School, thank you! To Mr. Rainey, we hope this birthday was a memorable one as you embark on a new decade!