Middle School Students Complete the "Name Game" and Build Community and Belonging
September 10, 2026
In 1976, student Michele Truman earned the school’s first official free dress day, dubbed "Grub Day," by reciting the names of all 84 students on campus. Fifty years after a simple campus challenge sparked an enduring legacy, two Middle School students, Charley G. ’32 and Virginia W. ’31, have added their names to school history with a significantly larger divisional roster. The spirit of community lives on through the Name Game, an annual tradition in which students try to name every classmate and faculty member in their division.
This year, Middle School students Charley and Virginia stepped up and successfully named every student, teacher, and staff member in their division, including first and last names. Their impressive feat of memory secured — naming 397 people — a coveted “Grub Day,” now considered a free dress day, for the entire Middle School.
Beyond the reward of a casual dress day, the Name Game remains a powerful reflection of the ESD community, proving that five decades later, every face and every name still matter.
