Making Headlines: An Update from the Deans’ Office
Though athletic teams and the fall play are yet to finalize rosters, the Community Life program has been active since students first arrived on campus. Seniors have spent hours with a range of faculty perspectives in order to examine how they can be healthy, active, and able leaders throughout the school year. Class III students are learning about identity, wellness, and community culture in the first week of Connections. What’s more, Community Life meetings by House began on Wednesday with a keen focus on values. Spending time away from the classroom, athletic field, or music room is critical for the education of the whole student, and the Community Life program has been engaging with students since they stepped onto the Circle.
In Connections, groups of about ten students discuss issues of wellness, identity, and community living—to name a few recent topics. Students offer experiences and perspectives in confidence, fostering a space safe for personal thoughts and ideas. Faculty members facilitate discussions and happily share snacks and laughs with their groups. Each week focuses on a theme while maintaining a broader commitment to connecting with one another. In the first week, Class III students have explored identity and confidentiality, and next week they navigate wellness and relationships.
Community Life meetings, which occur on various evenings throughout the year, are opportunities for Houses to learn, share, and bond with one another. While day students do not live on campus, they are split into four different “Day Houses” for these meetings. After some warm-up activities and logistics, students are asked to think deeply about the values they aspire to live by. Students then commit their goals to the page by filling out a worksheet that ultimately ends up in their advisor's hands. By paying close attention to values, the first Community Life meeting seeks to connect students and ground them in ideals that they believe in.
The yearly Senior Leadership Training went off without a hitch and the energy of this year’s class was palpable. The Training, which runs for several days, aims to prepare seniors to step into leadership roles through discussions, activities, and skits. Whether sharing stories about the difficulties that came with being a new student or taking part in bystander training, this year’s senior class was not only engaged and motivated but also positive and committed to playing a key role in the Middlesex community. In the first few weeks, the school has benefited from the hard work and passion of its seniors, who continue to support new students as they adjust to life at Middlesex.
Throughout the school year, the Community Life Program will continue in a variety of ways—in October, first year students will begin Choices—and the Deans' Office will update parents on the aims and broad content of these events that we see as critical to a student’s experience at Middlesex.
