A Little Rain Can’t Stop a Big Tradition: Stone Soup Day 2025

Not even a rainy day could dampen the spirit of Stone Soup Day at Gill St. Bernard’s. On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, Lower School students, teachers, and families gathered to celebrate one of GSB’s most cherished traditions, marking the official start of the year-long Service-Learning program that teaches students the value of collaboration, generosity, and community spirit.

First introduced in 1982 by former Lower School Teacher Jan Hays, Stone Soup Day was inspired by Stone Soup by Marcia Brown—a timeless story about the power of sharing. What began as a small classroom project has since grown into a cherished event that brings together the entire Lower School community. Each student contributes an ingredient to create a communal soup, symbolizing how everyone’s small effort can make a meaningful difference.

This year, Head of School Dr. Delvin Dinkins shared a special reading of Stone Soup with students before the festivities began. From our youngest preschoolers to our Fourth Graders, every student took an active role—from donating ingredients and helping with preparations to contributing to the shared pot and enjoying the final meal together.

Our students are connected to and take pride in their contribution to the whole,” commented Lower and Middle School Director Kyle Armstrong P ’21, ’29, ’36. “No matter their age, they are all an important part of the community, and they all have a role and responsibility to support our community.

Stone Soup sets the tone for GSB's Service-Learning programming for the year. Beginning with the process of creating the Stone Soup, students learn that service is gratitude in action.

"Students learn that service is about giving more than things and money," said Lower School Assistant Director Jill Fedon P ’27. "They learn about need in a community, and they learn about the community we are serving, broadening their understanding of the world around us. Most importantly, our students learn to share time and resources, and they learn to care about those who they are serving."

GSB would like to thank the youngest student in our school, Clark ’40, who dropped the stone into the pot. We would also like to thank our Eighth and Twelfth Grade Lifers (students who have been at GSB since before First Grade) for assisting in the ceremony.

Eighth Grade Lifers 

• Charlotte Brandt
• Elizabeth Granito 
• Jon Hanson 
• Anabel Hercules 
• Kathrine Judd 
• Ryan Koester 
• Serene Riaz
• Gabriel Rios
• Tatum Salko 
• Emily Wong 

Twelfth Grade Lifers

• Annabelle Beekman
• Luc Corrado
• Cece Criscola
• Davis Herr
• Graedy Jacobson 
• Oliver Litchfield
• Gurnoor Pakka
• Neil Procaccino
• Caitlin Vollrath 
• Aryanna Wasser