Assumption University hosted the 14th Annual Duck Day celebration, a beloved tradition in which local elementary school children are welcomed onto campus to greet the ducks as they return to campus, on Tuesday, April 24, at 11:30 a.m., in front of the duck pond on the University’s campus at 500 Salisbury Street.
More than 250 students from local schools, including the Jewish Community Early Childhood Center, Flagg Street School, and Nelson Place School, will join Assumption students in duck-themed gear and enjoy an array of treats as the darling little ducks trot down the red carpet back into the pond. This year, the Assumption Student Government Association (SGA) has composed an original song for the occasion; the “Duck Song” will be sung in the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” prior to the ducks’ release.
“In my work with children, I have seen the value of music in bringing together a community,” said Julia Demkowicz ’19, vice president of student affairs for SGA. “We felt that a song would unite members of the Assumption University community young and old to celebrate spring time and welcoming back our favorite ducks to campus!”
Prior to Duck Day, T-shirts will be sold, and bottles and cans will be collected, to benefit the Prince of Peace School, an Assumptionist school in the Beni region of the Congo. Proceeds from T-shirt sales and can collection will aid in the purchase of necessary supplies for Prince of Peace students and also help cover partial tuition for some students, which is just $100 per student per year. Demkowicz said the SGA is hoping this will “raise awareness for the Assumptionist school in the Beni region of the Congo and remind students of the global presence of the Assumptionist community.”
While this is the 14th official Duck Day celebration, it is the 34th anniversary of the ducks’ spring return to campus. Prior to Duck Day becoming an official University-sponsored event for the community, the late professor Kenneth Moynihan, Ph.D., and his wife, Mary Jo, would shelter the ducks in their Paxton barn during the winter months. Though Professor Moynihan passed in 2014, his legacy lives on through this annual Duck Day tradition.
In the event of inclement weather, Duck Day will be rescheduled for April 26.
