The Ducks Return to Assumption on April 23

Assumption will host its 15th 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 23, at 11:30 a.m., in front of the duck pond on 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 ducks trot down the red carpet back into the pond. The opening ceremony will once again feature the singing of Assumption Student Government Association (SGA)’s original song, the “Duck Song,” prior to the ducks’ release. 

This year, SGA has added “Bidding for Beni” to Duck Day. Members of the Assumption community will be invited to bid on the right to name one of the ducks, with all proceeds benefitting the Prince of Peace School, an Assumptionist school in the Beni region of the Congo in Africa. Funds raised through the auction, as well as Duck Day T-shirt sales, will benefit the school during a time of significant challenges. In the last year, the area has endured an epidemic of the Ebola virus, rebel militia attacks on civilians and international aid workers, and political unrest following a recent presidential election. The school has kept its doors open and is embarking on the construction of a high school in to serve more students. 

“The Prince of Peace School in Beni is facing a number of challenges,” said Colin McQuillan ’20, SGA’s vice president for student affairs. “We thought that giving the campus community an opportunity to name one of Assumption’s beloved ducks would be a fun way for us to generate financial resources for a worthy cause. All of the proceeds will be donated to the school, so hopefully this will allow us to contribute a significant amount.”

Bidding for the naming rights will begin at $50 and can be viewed via Facebook Live on the Assumption Facebook page during Duck Day.   

While this is the 15th official Duck Day celebration, it is the 35th anniversary of the ducks’ spring return to campus. Prior to Duck Day becoming an official Assumption-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 take place the following day, Wednesday, April 24, at 11:30 a.m.