Gustavus senior Bess Folsom ’13 reads to a group of first graders at South Elementary School on Wednesday, Oct. 3 (Photo by Matt Thomas ’00).
When Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden arrive at Gustavus Adolphus College on Friday, Oct. 5, they will be greeted by more than 1,000 energetic elementary school-aged children from St. Peter. Gustavus officials spent part of this week visiting with those students in order to extend their knowledge of Their Majesties and the country of Sweden and prepare them for Friday’s welcoming processional.
“When reviewing the notes and news articles from previous royal visits it was clear that people really remembered the school children being involved and so we are pleased that the school district is excited to bring the students to campus for this visit,” Taylor said. “We also learned that the kids were expecting to see the King and Queen wearing crowns. So we wanted to visit the schools to teach the kids a little bit more about Their Majesties so they would know what to expect on Friday.”
Taylor, Sesquicentennial Assistant Maggie Hedlund, Chaplain Sabina Koij, and student Bess Folsom ’13 took turns addressing groups of students at North and South Elementary schools as well as John Ireland Catholic School.
They discussed things such as where Sweden is on a map, what the role of Their Majesties is in a representative democracy like Sweden, why Their Majesties are coming to Gustavus, what Their Majesties look like and what they will wear, and the schedule for the day on Friday. They also read the book Why Kings and Queens Don’t Wear Crowns by Princess Martha Louise of Norway.
For more information about Their Majesties visit to Gustavus on Friday, Oct. 5, go online to gustavus.edu/royalvisit.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510