Mountain Day 2010
Last Monday, October 11, the architects from Centerbrook, met with BCD community members in the first of three workshops working towards creating a campus master plan. When each individual in the group had an opportunity to share what is important to them in this planning process, the importance of a campus that promotes a sense of community was prominent. Several students at the workshop spoke to the desire to have more opportunities to connect with students from other grades and across all divisions. This sentiment is central to why I love BCD. Community.
Throughout the year we see a number of opportunities that help to create a sense of community. Teachers and administrators look for ways to create and maintain a sense of community at all levels: class, division, sports, and all school. Some of the opportunities include soccer intramurals, Fun and Field Day, Alaska Day, peer reading and Lower School Mountain Day. This past Wednesday, the Lower School (K through Grade 3) took their annual walk through Kennedy Park in Lenox. Students learn about the history of the Aspinwall Hotel and the creation of the park. The hike allows the opportunity to look for the remains of the grand hotel and to enjoy a nature hike during one of the most beautiful seasons in the Berkshires. More importantly, this event exemplifies the best of community at BCD. Other than weekly division meetings, Mountain Day offers the first real time that all students from kindergarten up through third grade to interact and work together in small groups. Students are divided into “power buddy” groups with children from all grades in each group. The third graders take on a leadership role, looking after the younger students in their groups. The third graders also organize and lead small group activities to help students to get to know each other better. The third graders embrace this responsibility and are wonderful working with the younger students. The events of the day are all designed to allow students to work and have fun together. Throughout the day we observe community building at its best.
We can and should continue to find ways to build a community that encourages respect, nurtures friendships and allows students to be leaders and role models and for younger students. As we develop a campus master plan, how we re-imagine our campus, we must consider how design can maintain and promote what is central to who we are as a school – community.
