In the hustle and bustle of my daily work, which has been on the hectic side of late, it’s rare that I get the time to step back and truly experience first-hand the power and purpose of our work here at Belmont Day School. However, over the past week, I have had the great fortune of being in the room as the lights came on, and our middle school students shined for all to see.
The first was last Thursday at the third annual STEAM Expo. In a packed Barn gym, our sixth and seventh graders did far more than display their tech-based projects; they explained their processes of learning, failing, iterating, and problem-solving. And they did so, with joy and honesty. Along with the students’ parents and their peers, more than forty prospective families were in the room to learn more about Belmont Day. Our students greeted all those unfamiliar faces with a smile and an eagerness to not just possibly teach them something and answer their questions but to welcome them to the community. From table to table, our visitors were greeted by our students, asking both parents and their children, “Hey, do you want to try the experiment?”
The second occasion happened this week, Tuesday through Friday, as we welcomed four candidates for the assistant head of school position. I had the privilege of hosting a panel of middle school students who met with each of the educators and administrators. The young panelists were honest, reflective, curious, and expansive as they answered a series of open questions:
- What’s your favorite thing about BDS?
- What adult do you feel comfortable going to with a problem or just to talk?
- What is one thing you’d like to change about BDS?
- What’s a favorite project you’ve done here at BDS?
The answers they provided gave the candidate a view into what it’s like to be a student here, and how they value their time, friends, teachers, and education at BDS. And when school does not meet their expectations, these students offered some great suggestions for us adults to consider:
- Can we have a longer lunch period?
- Can we have more interaction with the younger students?
- Can we get a turf field?
- Can affinity groups and spaces return?
- Could there be more consistency in the homework load?
What is clear is that our middle schoolers know themselves and know their school. They have adults to talk with and to seek out when necessary. They love the choices they get to make and unanimously agree that they need more time for lunch, for transitions, for resource time, for athletics, and for each other.
Later in the day, when the candidates met with larger groups of faculty, each one of the candidates mentioned how powerful it was for them to speak with and hear directly from our students.
I know our students shine brightly very often as our school’s best ambassadors, and I was so fortunate this week to be in the room when they did so for their parents, friends, and future members of our community. I look forward to catching many more moments when those lights are on and our middle school students show everyone what makes BDS special. Next up, I’ll see them, and hopefully you, at the musical and the Capstone presentations.
