At Annie Wright, Middle School begins with three very unusual days. Opening Day, the formal launch of the school day, is a busy one - a chaotic start, lots of new faces, squeezing into Chapel with the entire school community, finding your Advisory, moving into lockers, meeting teachers, finding classrooms...and on day two, we load the buses and head to Millersylvania for 24 hours of activities, reflection, and time to connect with classmates and friends. To the cynic, this schedule may appear to be a bit fluffy, but these days serve an important cognitive function. Our Orientation programming allows students to begin to build (or rebuild) relationships and feel connected - a key component in developing self-esteem and optimal learning. Kids need to feel safe, grounded, purposeful, and, in a very strong way, known to build a strong foundation for learning and facing intellectual and personal challenges.So our Orientation trip takes students away to get to know each other first as people, and second as fellow students or as teachers. Reducing the distractions of the family routine, of laptops and cellphones and TV, Orientation invites students to focus on each other and on themselves. At the end of each year, the faculty reflect on the culture and climate of the Middle School, and we look for new inspiration to communicate our values and engage students in the shaping of a positive school culture. This year, we looked to JK Rowling's Harry Potter series for inspiration - not because of the alternate world the author weaves but because of the values communicated through the film. So to reflect on the ways our Orientation sets the tone for the year, let me draw on that series as well.
"Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic."
At the most basic, Orientation opens direct lines of communication between all members of the Middle School, and our Faculty and Student Council members model what it means to consistently communicate with respect. In addition to giving time for Advisory groups to bond and for students to get to know their teachers, 8th and 7th Grade students wrote short letters welcoming 6th Graders to Middle School and offering advice. In building our community, we do not look to any outside influences or "magic" - we are makers of our community, of its climate, and of the relationships that thrive in it.
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
Being part of a community means constant and consistent attention to the choices that each member makes. The variety of activities gave students many choices - whether and how to participate, whether to have fun or to be competitive, whether to help with mundane tasks or to withdraw and let others take the lead...but that variety also gave students the chance to witness, learn from, and emulate each other. The result was avid participation, a lot of joy in collective creativity or games, and setting the bar for expectations - for how we treat, respond to, and support each other - very high."If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
While much of the Middle School experience occurs within Advisory or Grade Level groups, in different grades have several opportunities to intersect throughout the year. This year, we will be mixing in Family Groups several times - each Family includes one Advisory from each Grade. Already, we have seen our older students welcome younger and newer students with great care. Our warm, inclusive culture is sustained by this alone - by our students modeling warmth, compassion, inclusivity, and enthusiasm for our younger students. Now the work of the rest of the school year is to discover the ways students can build on this start to shape the experiences of students in the Middle School, throughout AWS, and throughout our region.
For more photos, check the Middle School Orientation album on Vidigami!
