Exploring Multi-Cultural Traditions at the Middle School

As part of BB&N’s ongoing mission to DEIG, multiple faculty members organized “Faith Traditions,” a program that introduces students to beliefs and practices in various religions. The program—now in its sixth year—included lunch talks with leaders from a multitude of faiths, followed by group discussions and field trips to the First Church in Cambridge, the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC), and Temple Beth Zion. Students then reflected on their experiences through art the following week.

The month-long project aimed to help students grasp customs and traditions across worldwide religions while connecting them to their local community in the greater Cambridge area. Students spent a day visiting places of worship in Boston to learn and ask questions about those faiths’ practices and historic spaces. Some of the discussions focused on what students had learned through lunch talks, while others centered on the physical space and the extra information provided by local leaders.

Organizer and Middle School English teacher Betsy Canaday discussed the importance of this program, saying, “The Faith Traditions program is designed to give students windows and mirrors into an aspect of our diversity here at the Middle School and beyond. Through lunch Q and A sessions with practitioners of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Humanism, students are exposed to a wide range of belief systems and are asked to think about the commonalities and differences between them.”

Canaday also emphasized the importance of emphasizing diversity and understanding, noting that “students learn from windows into other people’s perspectives and may experience mirrors in the validation of their own ideas reflected back to them. Our field trips to a synagogue, church, and mosque deepen this exploration by giving students an opportunity to actually experience these diverse places of worship.”

Echoing the sentiments of his teacher, eighth-grade student Zachary Kesselheim ’27 remarked that “it was interesting to see

by Hannah Garcia

places of worship that I was unfamiliar with, and to compare and contrast them to ones I was familiar with.” The experience exposed him and his peers to the multitude of ways and places where people practice worship, right in his backyard.

Similarly, Kai Veson ’27 commented that “the best part was visiting the mosque and the temple because I got to see how passionate they were and all the things they have to do to keep the mosque running.” Veson also mentioned that it was interesting to see all the different traditions, especially as he visited around one o’clock when there were people actively praying—it was a “window” into other people’s communities and faiths.

Visiting three places of worship and the pre-field trip discussions were integral to comprehending the similarities and differences between faiths. The thing that stood out most to Veson was “the variety of when each faith was practiced…at the mosque, they practice five times a day but on the Zoom call talking about Buddhism, they talked about how they practice it throughout the day…it is a thing you take with you.” From these virtual and in-person experiences, Veson and his peers were able to see where traditions differ, but also the “small key differences” that unite us all in a shared practice.

The program concluded on February 6, when students synthesized what they learned from the experience into an art project. Each student created a unique rendering of how they interpreted each discussion and aspect of the field trip, summing up their experience into a piece of art and written reflection for their peers and teachers to enjoy.

The efforts of Middle School teachers and faculty members Betsy Canaday, Youssef Talha, Sasha Bergmann, Tiffany Rice, Christa Crewdson, and Nathalia Jimenez were invaluable in making sure the program ran smoothly. A special thanks to the First Church in Cambridge, the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC), and Temple Beth Zion for hosting the students and sharing their culture and customs.

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x 1 x Students examine a Torah at Temple Beth Zion. x 2 x Eighth graders learn about the First Church in Cambridge. x 3 x Grade 8 students outside of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center x 4 & 5 x Sample drafts of student reflections.

Students Spearhead Community Day at the Upper School

Upper School students celebrated a different kind of love on Valentine’s Day this year: they marked the day by strengthening their community. Aptly named Community Day, the students kicked off the day with an opening speech by Jason Talbot, co-founder of Artists for Humanity, then launched into an art workshop creating squares for a shared mural based on the work of local artist Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs. The crux of the day came when students and faculty members broke out into conversations with affinity groups and interest groups to tackle one of the objectives for the day: did you feel seen and heard?

The day was a rousing success, and students cited all parts of the day as their favorite activity. One student spoke about the impact of the keynote speaker, saying, “Jason’s speech at the beginning was definitely the highlight. Not only did I learn more about his passion for art, but also the ways in which art has impacted/shaped multiple communities.” Another peer echoed one of the goals of the day, noting, “my favorite part of the day was the first conversation I had about athletics and academics because it was a great time to be surrounded by people like me, so I felt comfortable and my voice was truly heard.”

The idea for this event came from a student over the summer and transformed into a reality through the tireless efforts of faculty and students. The morning focused on coming together and discussing individual and group identities which transitioned into team-building games and assembling the community mural in the afternoon. Particular kudos go out to the student leaders for the day: Fatmata Sesay ’23 and Jaiden Douglin ’25!

Fall Sports Wrap-Up

ALL ISL HONORS

Girls Volleyball: Madera Longstreet-Lipson ’23, Sofia Khoury ’23, Sherry Ren ’24

Football: Bo MacCormack ’25, Brett Elliot ’24, Brian Brennan ’24, Isaiah Kacyvenski ’23, Leo Sarzana ’23

Boys Soccer: Thomas Angelone ’24

Field Hockey: Clara Noyes ’23 (First-team, All-NEPSAC), Hannah Weyerhaeuser ’25 (First-team, All-NEPSAC)

Girls Soccer: Caitlin Mara ’24 (first-team ISL and NEPSAC), Francesca Valverde ’23 (NEPSAC Player of the Year, All-NEPSAC, first-team ISL and NEPSAC) Maeve Theobald ’25 (first-team ISL and NEPSAC)

Girls Cross Country: Caroline Kovacs ’26, Naomi Hammerschlag ’25

ISL MVP

Girls Volleyball: Kate Jiang ’23

Girls Soccer: Caitlin Mara ’24 (Co-MVP)

ISL HONORABLE MENTIONS

Girls Volleyball: Corinne Holness ’25 (All NEPSAC), Avery Hart ’25 (All NEPSAC Honorable Mention)

Football: Isaiah Ohuabunwa ’23, Jake Berglund ’23, Henry Machnik ’24

Boys Soccer: Kellan Fournelle ’23, Oliver McNamara ’24, Mason Sullivan ’25

Field Hockey: Emily Huehn ’24 (All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention), Alexsa Caron ’24 (All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention)

Girls Soccer: Sophia Recupero ’24 (second team), Samantha Mahoney ’24 (second team), Ava Venuti ’23 (second team)

Girls Cross Country: Alana Kramer-Gomez ’23, Sylvia Brennan ’24 Boys Cross Country: Joshua Curhan ’25

COACHES CUP WINNERS

Football: Leo Sarzana ’23

Boys Soccer: Christian Pineda ’23

Field Hockey: Clara Noyes ’23

Girls Soccer: Ava Venuti ’23

Girls Cross Country: Sylvia Brennan ’24

Boys Cross Country: Ford Legg ’23

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BB&N Girls Varsity Soccer Team Wins Championship, Again!

Building on their recent history of excellence, the BB&N’s Girls Varsity Soccer Team took home the NEPSAC Class A Championship this fall with a 4-0 victory over Westminster School. The resounding win secured the team an incredible third consecutive NEPSAC Class A Championship. Astoundingly, in the past two years, the Knights have navigated their schedule without a single loss—a remarkable accomplishment considering the strong quality of their opponents. Way to go, girls!

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