List of 17 items.

• Closing Exercises

  At the end of every year, all three divisions gather together to celebrate students’ achievements and send off grades 4, 8, and 12 as they move up to the next division, or chapter of their lives. During Middle and Upper School Closing Exercises, students are presented with awards that they are nominated for by the faculty. Students in Middle School receive awards such as the Community Cup and the English prize. Students in the Upper School receive awards from the English Prize to the Benjamin R. Fisher Cup which is awarded to a student who has given outstanding service to the school. Lower School students participate in the Moving Up Ceremony during Closing Exercises. Each grade level has assigned spots in the auditorium and during the ceremony they move from their current seats to the next grade level.

• Commencement

  One of the most anticipated events of the year, Commencement is a celebration of the senior class and their final goodbye from The Ellis School. The graduation ceremony is held in the Ellis courtyard and the entire Ellis community is invited to attend as the seniors receive their diplomas and officially become Ellis graduates.

• Culture Jam

  Culture Jam is an annual student-led and produced conference focused on diversity. It is designed to empower students to have courageous conversations alongside their peers. Culture Jam offers a safe, inclusive space for high school students to discuss equity-related issues that are present in schools, the Pittsburgh region, and the global community.

• Ellis Entrepreneurs

  All sixth graders participate the Ellis Entrepreneurs as part of a year-long focus on entrepreneurial ship. Students will create a protype of a specific item of their choosing, where their middle school peers get to "shop", so students get a sense of the success of their product.

• Ellis Lifer Tea

  Students who have attended Ellis from kindergarten through grade 12 are known as Ellis “Lifers”. While there are only a handful in each class, this select group takes great pride in attending Ellis for their entire academic career. In June of their senior year, Lower School teachers put together a tea for the lifers to reconnect and reminisice about their time spent in Lower School. A video of their fourth grade Lower School musical performance is also played during the tea.

• Fine Arts Fest

  A celebration of the arts at Ellis, the Fine Arts Festival is a biennial event that features performances, demonstrations, and workshops. Students involved in the performing arts such as band, orchestra, glee, and dance show off their talents in performances throughout the day. Student work from visual arts classes is displayed throughout the School to encourage those attending to walk around campus and experience their work. Students also give artistic demonstrations. Additionally, the Fine Arts Festival is a time for faculty and students to showcase new technology and maker education methods that are integral to Ellis’ fine arts curriculum.

• Green and White Teams

  In their first year at Ellis, every student is assigned to the Green or White team and they stay on the same team throughout their time at Ellis. At the beginning of each school year, students participate in the Green and White games which are hosted by the Student Athletic Advisory Board (SAAB). Past games have included relay races, obstacle courses, and dodgeball games.

• Halloween Parade and Costume Contest

  Every year for Halloween, students have the opportunity to dress up in costumes for the day. The highlight of Halloween, however, is the Lower School Halloween parade. Students from pre-kindergarten to grade 4—and even some daycare children—line up and parade through the  Courtyard and Middle and Upper School buildings so that older students, families, and faculty can view and celebrate their costumes.
  
  Middle Schoolers participate in a haunted hallway competition, play games and watch Halloween movies, and gather for a pumpkin decorating competition and division wide costume contest. 

• Heritage Day

  Heritage Day is the celebration of different cultures within the School. Students are encouraged to wear clothing from countries that are a part of their heritage and share traditions with their peers. In the Lower School, students participate in different activities throughout the day that teach them about cultures they may know nothing about. The most exciting part of the day, however, is lunch. Parents from all divisions sign up to cook food from countries that they have ties to and bring it in for all students to enjoy. Known as “the best day of the year” to most students, Heritage Day is a day at Ellis that no one wants to miss.

• House Games

  Upon entering Middle School, students are sorted into one of four houses, each named for a famous Pittsburgh woman. Throughout the year, teams compete in various competitions that involve a wide-array of activities from arts to athletics, to trivia athletics, trivia. Whichever house has the most points at the end of the year gets the famous "Spirit Cup".

• Kilt Destruction Day

  After spending years in the Ellis uniform, students tend to grow tired of the plaid kilt and constant Ellis green. Kilt Destruction Day gives the seniors free reign to transform their Ellis uniform (typically a kilt) into another article of clothing or accessory. Students have made scarves, covered shoes, camera straps, and even a Batman cape and mask.

• Senior Brunch

  Senior Brunch marks the beginning of graduation season for the senior class. Held at The Aviary, in Northside, this rite of passage allows students and their parents to enjoy brunch alongside their sister class and hear speeches from the Head of School, the Head of Upper School, and a faculty member of their choosing.

• Senior Class Day

  Every year, the senior class picks a day to collectively skip school. Students will use the day to catch up on work, hang out as a class, or just take a much needed day of rest as it typically happens right before AP exams begin.

• Senior Privileges

  As students head into their final year at Ellis they are granted Senior Privileges to prepare them for the independence and responsibility that comes with being a college student. Students are allowed to wear their own clothes on Fridays until after Senior Brunch when they participate in Kilt Destruction Day. Once their kilts are quite literally deconstructed, seniors no longer have to wear the uniform to campus. Seniors are also granted “come and go” privileges. These do not begin until after November 1 - college early decision application deadline. If students do not have class, they are not required to be on campus. Many students use this privilege to go grab a coffee or lunch during the day. If they don’t have class before 9:30 a.m. or after 1:30 p.m., seniors are allowed to come in a little later or leave early to pursue other experiences and outside passions.

• Senior Shenanigans Day

  One of the most anticipated days of the year, Senior Shenanigans Day is exactly as it sounds: a day where the seniors cause shenanigans in the Upper School. Kept a secret from the rest of the students, seniors spend weeks planning out the perfect pranks to pull on each grade level and faculty in the Upper School. Typically, the senior class picks an overall theme for the day and they keep their pranks in line with their chosen theme. Past themes have included “You’ve Been Roasted,” Camp Ellis, and CoachEllis (a play on Coachella). Pranks have ranged from turning the freshman lounge into a nursery, to bringing in dogs, to gift wrapping a teacher’s entire desk.

• Tiger Institute

  After the combination of academic classes, students engage in a four-day deep dive into interdisciplinary topic of their choosing. Students across grade levels may spend their time taking such courses featuring Tantalizing Tiger Treats, Game Design, Zine Making, Installation Art, and Babysitting 101. The week ends with presentations where each class shares with the rest of their peers in Middle School what they learned. 

• Upper School Spirit Week

  Taking place during the week leading up to the homecoming dance, Spirit Week allows students to be out of their uniform and take part in fun activities. Hosted by the Student Athletic Advisory Board (SAAB) and Upper School Student Council, each day of the week has a different theme or activity. Some themes have included dressing up as twins, a character, or as a tourist. At the end of the week, each grade level participates in Color Wars. Seniors assign each grade in the Upper School a specific color (Ellis green, kiwi brown, etc.) and students work together to creatively decorate their entire grade level lounge with that color.