Traditions
Easter Breakfast
The beloved tradition of Easter Breakfast, an early-morning gathering of PDS alumni and seniors, continued into the 1940s. In 1941 and 1942, the event took place at Knapp Farm as it had during the twenties and thirties. At a particularly special Easter Breakfast in 1942, Dr. Windrow was presented with a service flag adorned with blue and gold stars honoring PDS alumni who were serving in the armed forces. In the following years, the gathering would be held at the Demonstration School.
Senior Trips
As wrote George Mayfield ('44) in the 1944 Volunteer, PDS seniors started the tradition in 1939 of taking trips throughout the South "to study the economic, social, and political problems" in nearby cities. Due to transportation restrictions during wartime years in the early 1940s, the senior class instead chose to focus on their home city of Nashville. In 1943, groups of seniors visited the penitentiary, police station, Juvenile court, Nashville Union Stockyards, Boscobel St. Federal Housing Project, War Memorial Museum, and other local places of interest. However, after 1945, the Senior Trip was back in full force, with students traveling to cities such as Chicago, Gatlinburg, and New Orleans.
Homecoming
In the second half of the decade, after PDS's return to interscholastic sports, a popular social event was Homecoming in the fall. Students and visiting alumni would celebrate with a police-led parade in the afternoon, the crowning of the "queen," and then rally to cheer on the football team at the big game.