Gym Drill 2021

The Bryn Mawr community celebrated Gym Drill on Friday, April 30, 2021, marking the 117th annual event. Despite several changes due to COVID restrictions, gathering in person — in uniforms and sashes — for a modified version of the beloved tradition provided a shared sense of community to many. 

This year, Gym Drill was held on a Friday afternoon and only Middle and Upper Schools took part. Faculty and staff alumnae carried on the opening banner march, only seniors performed the opening exercises and the audience was limited to Bryn Mawr employees and parents of the Class of 2021. Students stayed masked throughout the event and each grade performed dances without costumes or props (9th graders performed a Haitian dance instead of the traditional “sword dance” this year). 

All School Captain Serena Cooper ‘21 reminisced on a year unlike any other and what makes taking the field for Gym Drill so special, “This year has been more challenging than most and we all know that. Through all of it, Gym Drill remains my day of relief. A day to just be a Mawrtian. And for me, just to be a member of the Class of 2021.” 

In a year where many people have wondered when things might get back to “normal,” the Gym Drill opening dance embraced positive change, sharing the message that there is “no one normal.” The opening dance was also recorded and shared via video, which included an original poem by Caroline Knight ‘22, readings by Jingjing Xu ‘22, Olivia West ‘23, Kate Butler ‘22, and Zawadi Sankofa ‘22, and artwork by Ayanna Richardson ‘24.