36 minute read
Hilltop Happenings
Let the Games Begin
by Jamie Reynolds, Director of Communications
WINTER CARNIVAL
As is often the case in New England, the weather forecast plays an important role in daily life during the winter months. While predictions of snow often equate with anticipated school closures, this winter Berwick Academy paid close attention to local forecasts for another reason. The annual Winter Carnival brings together community members across all three divisions, but a few inches of snow on the ground creates a truly memorable day of activities. Based on accumulation from a prior weekend’s snowstorm, Wednesday, February 2 was chosen as the day for this fun winter tradition.
The 2022 Winter Carnival was appropriately Olympic-themed, as the Winter Olympics began just a few days after the games on the Hilltop. Lower School students enjoyed a full day of special activities, organized by Director of Physical Education Marilena Canuto and staff. Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 3 students enjoyed a variety of different stations with the help of Grade 4 ambassadors in each location, including snowshoeing, sledding, a book walk, and broomball.
Middle and Upper School students joined the fun in the late morning, as the “Opening Ceremonies” took place on Fogg Field. In a hybrid of Berwick traditions, four concentric circles were formed (much like the Community Circles event that takes place in the fall), and the Class of 2022 held its Candle Lighting Ceremony in the innermost ring. The afternoon came with a variety of competitions, including a broomball and curling tournament, the Acaderod, a relaystyle obstacle course, and a treasure hunt.
“Winter Carnival has been a Berwick tradition for hundreds of years, actually predating the modern Olympic Games,” the Prefects, four twelfth grade student leaders, explained in their opening remarks. “We, as a school, come together to celebrate the beauty of winter and our community. Second graders can build snow people with ninth graders, eleventh graders can sprint in the famous Acaderod with their science teachers, and seventh graders can talk to tenth graders over a cup of hot cocoa.”
While the snow and ice began to thaw in the days following Winter Carnival, the memories of community events such as this are what make Berwick Academy a special place to learn and grow.
Expanding Our Reach
by Jamie Reynolds, Director of Communications
The creation and growth of year-round auxiliary programs, including after-school and summer programing, as well as facility rental opportunities, is an important goal of the new strategic plan. Inherent to this initiative is building community partnerships that enhance our offerings and allow participants, both Berwick students and community guests, to learn and grow.
Already a favorite guest at Berwick Academy, The Center for Wildlife has interactive after-school programming and Summer 2022 camp offerings for both the Lower and Middle School communities. Berwick has also been fortunate to create a strong relationship with Sages Entertainment (and Wayne Moulton), a group of educators on the Seacoast who encourage students to participate in STEAM, magic, coding programs, and more.
“These partnerships are important as we continue to think of ways to expand our reach in the community,” explains Director of Auxiliary Programs Margot Harrington. “Places like the Center for Wildlife and groups like Sages Entertainment have their own established following, and by creating a space for them to run their camps or sessions on campus, we create a connection for a community member who maybe had never heard of Berwick Academy and all the amazing things we have to offer.”
Berwick’s very own SAGE Dining Services, through the leadership of Kate Dolan and the success of the 2021 summer program “Cooking with Kate,” is branching out this summer to offer “Baking with Kate.” Programing continues to evolve and Berwick is excited to join forces with other Seacoast neighbors, including The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, ChildLight Yoga, The Seacoast Science Center, artstream, and Flow Adventures, among others.
Aligning with our mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge among the rising generations, these community partnerships will provide hands-on, real-world experiences for students and community members alike.
Anything is Possible
by John Ibsen, Maker in Residence
On any given day in the Fabrication Studio inside the Inspiration Commons in Jackson Library, a 3D model on a computer is transformed into a physical axle, deliberately and precisely designed to fit a bearing in a wheel on a mousetrappowered car. Or a series of words and images are thoughtfully arranged to create a laser-cut sign to give to a grandparent over the holidays. A sheet of aluminum might be snipped, bent, and hammered to create a replica of Roman armor. Nearly anything is possible in the magic of the Fabrication Studio. No matter where students are on their journey as a maker, they learn, practice, and refine skills in this space. Working alongside students in these endeavors, I have seen the joy and pride that comes from taking an idea and making it a physical reality. As a woodworker, I know that sense of pride that comes with seeing my finished product. As an educator, I know the power that comes from learning from mistakes, something that is inherent to the design process.
This first year as Maker in Residence reminds me of the first phases of a design. It has been an opportunity to integrate the many ways the Fabrication Studio gets used, and to share instruction, mentorship, and support. This experience has translated to understanding and has allowed me to plan and prototype ideas to make the space more useful and accessible to students, faculty, and staff. This space plays an important role on Berwick’s campus as we continue to look for ways to instill useful knowledge and create paths to prepare students for their future.
Looking ahead to next year, I am excited to prototype some of my own ideas and passions. Aligning with sustainability initiatives on campus, I anticipate students working with wood from trees on the Berwick campus, repurposing materials from projects on the Hilltop. In working with this campus-sourced raw material, students will have the opportunity to be part of the story of our community through their creations and continue the legacy of beloved campus trees. It is my hope that someday alumni will return to campus, sit on a bench they made, and fondly reminisce about their days as students.
BPC CARES
by Stephanie Caswell, Director of Leadership Giving and Philanthropy and Meera Mahadevan P’20,’23
BOLLYWOOD
The squeak of basketball sneakers was replaced by the rhythmic sounds of jingling ankle clads and the clicking of wooden sticks as the Wood Gym was transformed into a Bollywood dance floor this fall.
The Berwick Parent Community (BPC) hosted a Bollywood dance event organized by BPC CARES (Culture, Awareness, Respect, Equity, and Support) in recognition of the Diwali season. More than 40 guests, including parents, students, and grandparents, attended the family-friendly event, which was organized by several of Berwick’s Indian-American parents.
The evening began with traditional Indian treats, as guests learned about the various dances custom to the many regions of India, ranging from classical to contemporary to folk dancing. Mouli Pal, a professional dancer from Wilmington, Massachusetts, dressed in a traditional silk sari, jewels, flowers, and bell-clad anklets, presented, performed, and demonstrated an intricate Indian dance known as Odissi. She paused after each dance to explain the symbolism and significance of the classical movements. Several Berwick parents choreographed and performed a contemporary dance with moves popularized in Bollywood movies and Indian weddings.
The evening concluded with guests learning some of the movements of the popular folk dance Dandiya. This Northern Indian dance involves partners using pairs of wooden sticks clicking and striking, set to the rhythm of the music. According to attendees, the festive event was a feast for the senses and was deeply enriching and memorable.
21-DAY RACIAL EQUITY CHALLENGE
Beginning in late January, the Berwick Parent Community invited current parents and guardians to participate in a 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, sponsored by NH Businesses for Social Responsibility.
With almost 70 participants, the challenge provided parents and guardians with an opportunity to learn about the history and dynamics of racism and how it manifests at various levels; discover local resources and leaders working on these issues; and create a space for ongoing dialogue.
Attendees received daily emails for three weeks, each of which focused on a theme. The messages also shared links to articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources to help participants deepen their understanding of racism. Three online dialogue sessions offered participants a chance to engage in facilitated conversations about the content provided each week.
The program concluded with a strategic planning meeting, during which the group discussed action plans, next steps, and best practices.
Najee Brown
Fall Trimester Visiting Artist, director of Berwick’s Upper School fall production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, and founder and artistic director of Theater For The People
Robert Sapiro, P’23
BPC CARES Co-Chair and administrator at Green Acre, A Bahá’í Center of Learning in Eliot, Maine
Tanisha Johnson
Black Lives Matter Seacoast co-founder and board chair
Elliott Moya
Chief of police in Eliot, Maine
Project Empathy
by Michael Buensuceso, Assistant Head of School for Community and Equity
In October 2021, Berwick Academy Visiting Artist Najee Brown and BPC CARES Co-Chair Robert Sapiro P ’23 joined an Upper School assembly to share their work on a collaboration called Project Empathy.
A performance-based project developed by Catherine Cote in 2017, Project Empathy members explore their own life experiences through activities and empathy-building exercises. Over four weeks, the group explored questions like “What is your earliest memory?” and “What is your proudest moment?” These and other questions provided the backdrop for members’ self-discovery and ultimately a space to write their own stories and practice telling their partner’s story in the first person, as though each was their own.
From the moment the group took the stage, Upper School students listened intently to Brown’s directorial vision of the program and his rationale for choosing cast members and their pairings — essentially, looking for a mix of individuals who had connections to the local community and represented diverse ages, ethnicities, occupations, and upbringings. Sapiro, who was not only a sponsor of the program but also a cast member, shared the power of listening and empathy, “…it was like we all have these shared stories. Speaking in the first person enables a true expression of emotion, and each story becomes our story, a shared story, an embodied story.”
Arguably, the most compelling pair of the cast was Tanisha Johnson, Black Lives Matter Seacoast co-founder and board chair, and Elliott Moya, chief of police in Eliot, Maine. In addition to the exploratory boundary-breaking questions, this pair wondered, “What would it look like if a police chief and a racial justice activist could listen to and then share each other’s stories?” At first, both were reluctant, given the continuing national discourse on communities of color and law enforcement, but found themselves, as a result of the experience, becoming greater colleagues in the community and even greater friends.
Both Johnson and Moya commented on how the experience created a personal connection and growing relationship that significantly influences how they go about their professional lives in their respective community roles. Their relationship and this program truly demonstrate the power of listening and empathy and the potential for hope in an often-contentious dialogue.
Reflections On Wellness
Berwick Academy Director of Wellness Kim Kryder sat down with Assistant Director of Communications Kendra Bates to discuss how Berwick’s established wellness program has served as an important resource for the School community over the last two years.
Kendra Bates (KB): Kim, you have served as Berwick’s wellness director since the position was created in 2017. In what ways have you seen wellness evolve at Berwick?
Kim Kryder (KK): I have been at Berwick since 2011 and, when I first started, there was an effort to formalize the Wellness Team, comprised of the school nurse, athletic trainer, director of physical education, academic support coordinators, and counselors. We had some wellness classes in the Middle School and a Social-Emotional Learning program in the Lower School back then, but that was about it. In the last 10 years, we have added more resources and expanded our programming across all three divisions. There has been so much growth in understanding how important it is for students to focus on their health and wellness, and continuing to connect it to the classroom learning experience was key. At Berwick, a student’s well-being is always part of the equation, and balanced social, emotional, and physical health plays an important role in academic success.
KB: How has Berwick proactively approached the social and emotional impact of COVID-19 on our students and community members, both from the beginning and as we continue to deal with the pandemic nearly two years later?
KK: Since the beginning, we used community times to focus on wellness initiatives that encouraged people to get outside and off devices. We realized that we were actually ahead of our peer schools with these types of suggestions because they were things we had already encouraged our students to do, not just during a pandemic. Two years later, we still encourage our students and teachers to take breaks, focus on self-care, and reach out for help. Socially, we have found ways to continue to hold events on and off campus so that our students have ways to safely connect with friends. We have tried to get things back to “normal” as much as possible, and I know that our community has benefited more than most from these important steps. KB: What actions of mindfulness do you recommend for faculty members as they continue to adjust the ways they teach to allow our students as much continuity as possible during the pandemic?
KK: Mostly we talk about self-care, and this can look different for everyone. What helps one teacher fill their bucket each week and allows them the space to then do their job may be completely different from what fills another teacher’s bucket. We all got into education because we enjoy working with young people, and the kids need us more than ever right now. But the commonly used phrase of putting the oxygen mask on first before assisting others really is needed during these times.
KB: When looking at the big picture of COVID-19’s impact on young people, what positives can you pull from this very difficult situation?
KK: I would like to think that for many, there was a lot of resiliency built over the last two years. Teens I talk to have said they’ve learned more about their own wellness during this time. It’s certainly hard to use the words positive and pandemic together, and this in no way dismisses those who have struggled along the way, but students have also found ways to stay healthy and balanced during these really tough times.
KB: Our reliance on technology has continued to grow. Do you see this impacting overall wellness for individuals?
KK: I do…I think it’s an easy way for kids to hide from uncomfortable social situations and, though there are times it can enhance social connections, it rarely helps in our overall wellness, especially if we are always choosing technology over connection with others. Zoom certainly saved the educational world and I continue to offer it as a way to connect with families instead of just over the phone. But in person is always my first choice, and I think we need to keep pushing ourselves to be present so that we can get back to authentic connections.
KB: Are there certain strategies you see young people adopting as a result of this pandemic that previous generations may have lacked?
KK: We used to worry that kids didn’t know how to be bored. They were constantly looking for stimulation and needed to be entertained every minute of the day. I think parents/guardians learned to give up their role in this because it wasn’t sustainable during the pandemic. We were all coming up with awesome creative activities in spring of 2020, but by winter of 2021, we were exhausted. As a result, I think our kids potentially are showing more similar traits to how their own parents grew up. “Go out and play” is used more in my house, and I hope that we can continue to allow our kids unstructured playtime. Even teens can benefit from this as many have such intense schedules, so helping them learn what to do or what they need during free time is an important adult skill that will serve them well when they get to college and find they have more free time to fill.
KB: Where do you see our wellness program going from here?
KK: The Wellness Team is always looking for ways to develop and deliver academic support and counseling across all three divisions at Berwick. I would love to add trimester electives in the Upper School around health topics that may be useful to our students before heading off to college. I also think we will continue to expand how we use the Walsh Wellness Center at Oakes House as a community. Middle School students have expressed interest in learning how to cook basic dishes in the Katz Learning Lab test kitchen, and I love that we have the ability to do these types of activities, whether it’s during the school day or through our auxiliary programs. The Wellness Team will continue its focus on bringing balance and useful knowledge to Berwick students.
A Maine Voice
Amaya Moore ’24 has a history of trying twice as hard to be heard half as much. “I had to fight to be listened to,” she says. This sentiment has been a driving factor for the young activist in pursuing change from within the educational system. In late 2021, Moore’s personal dedication to elevating young minority voices was confirmed when she was selected to serve on the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) Student Cabinet. Currently in its third year of operation, the Student Cabinet is a syndicate of students from all 16 counties of Maine. The group meets with DOE leaders once a month to provide input on a variety of key issues. In 2022, the Student Cabinet will be working with the DOE’s Reinventing Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) team to apply “design thinking” to create pilot programs tailored for Maine schools to adapt in the classroom.
Moore first learned about the Student Cabinet in early 2021, when, as part of her Innovation Pursuit, she met with members of the DOE to discuss a bill to mandate the teachings of African American history in Maine. The bill was passed, but her zest for implementing action was far from finished. The Student Cabinet serves as the voice of students across the state and as a liaison between the DOE and the young people for whom they make critical decisions. Moore’s personal experience with discrimination is what motivates her to want to represent others.
“I was often the only black student in my classes and I had to face a lot of racism, bias, and prejudice throughout my elementary and middle school years before I came to Berwick,” Moore says. “I had to battle stereotypes that came from my peers and my teachers”
Over the next two years of her term on the Student Cabinet, Moore and her fellow members will be working hard to share ideas with the DOE and offer fresh perspectives.
“I hope to bring a new perspective to what so many young minorities experience and give a voice to those who feel voiceless,” she says. “I plan to share what I’ve gone through as well as fight for change to help prevent kids from feeling the same way I did — alone and marginalized.”
“I hope to bring a new perspective to what so many young minorities experience and give a voice to those who feel voiceless.” — Amaya Moore ’24
A Sustainable Focus
The Upper School Sustainability Club created signs on recycled cardboard to raise awareness about environmental facts and stats.
At Berwick Academy, several groups of students take great pride in their work mitigating the global issue of rapid natural resource depletion, proposing plans to reassess the School’s waste management system and spread awareness of best practices.
The School began its composting efforts three years ago, with the help of York, Maine’s, Mr. Fox Composting and Kelly Martin’s third grade class. Students collected compostable items from Lower School classrooms each day, visited with Mr. Fox, and increased general awareness throughout the Lower School.
This fall, the Upper School Sustainability Club and Global Environmental Sustainability (GES) class identified composting on campus as an area for improvement and decided to bring more awareness to the ongoing effort. Students first tackled this project by mapping out the locations of potential composting bins around campus and offering suggestions to Facilities about placement for bins in high-traffic areas.
“It was so helpful to have students lead this initiative,” said Upper School Sustainability Club Advisor and GES teacher Sarah Jeanne Shimer, “because they represent our largest population on campus. Therefore, they provide great insight about where we need to have accessibility to compost. They know exactly where groups of friends take compostable containers from The Commons to eat lunch or where people eat snacks during community time.”
The students not only wanted to make this proposed composting system more accessible, but also aimed to spread awareness and understanding of the concept of composting. This desire gave birth to the Composting Campaign (#ReduceOurPrint). The Upper School GES class broke into groups to lead this home-grown push for better composting practices. Students surveyed fourth graders on their knowledge of what is compostable, interviewed sixth graders on the topic of sustainability and known compost practices, and recorded
the contents of compost bins and trash bins for a week to track the frequency of use and accuracy of composting.
With their data in hand, GES students presented a skit on composting to the Lower School at their weekly assembly. They also created a presentation about composting for the Middle School. To add an element of participation, the Upper School students organized a Blue versus White team challenge. Labeled bins for each team were placed in The Commons and the amount and accuracy of compost at the end of each lunch period was recorded to accrue points.
In the Upper School, the GES students encouraged their peers to take a second look at their discarded items by showing examples of trash collected from the dining hall that would have been better served in the compost bin.
With the topic of sustainability creating a real buzz on campus, guest speaker and former parent Nancy Hirshberg, founder and chief catalyst for her independent sustainability consulting firm, was invited to speak to Middle and Upper School students in December. A parent of a former Berwick student, Hirshberg is a champion of sustainability both in her professional and personal life. She has led sustainability initiatives at Stonyfield Farm, Ben & Jerry’s, and Patagonia.
Speaking at an Upper School assembly, Hirshberg shared a message about the urgency of climate change and the importance of individuals contributing to efforts to combat global warming. Her visit was also an excellent opportunity for Hirshberg to connect with the Upper School GES class about her work developing sustainable food systems, specifically at Stonyfield Farm. Students shared with her their projects about improving food systems, and the group was able to workshop ideas with Hirshberg, who pushed them to think deeper about solutions and provided them with resources to further explore the concept of sustainability. “It was truly eye-opening listening to Ms. Hirshberg talk about the impact climate change has on the environment,” GES student Reese Fendelet ’23 said. “It’s important to get everyone’s attention on the seriousness of this topic.” In her presentation to the Middle School, Hirshberg explained the life cycle of everyday materials and the resources needed to make something as simple as a cup of coffee or a wool sweater. She stressed the importance of reducing in the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra. “Ms. Hirshberg helped students understand the importance of reducing waste and consumption through all parts of the life cycle of products,” said Eloise Willemsen, a sixth grade science teacher, “especially the fact that the end of life is not the biggest problem and that creating products can make more waste than throwing them away.” From the beginning to the end of the life cycle of a product, across campus, Berwick students are examining the entire process and finding ways to be better stewards.
Chris Herren Speaks on Addiction
Students in Grades 7-12 filled the Blue Gym to listen to a powerful presentation from Chris Herren.
Chris Herren does not sit in the shadows of his past. Instead, he invites others to take a step closer to see what so many choose to hide in shame.
During a visit to Berwick Academy in October 2021, Herren spoke to students in Grades 7-12 and lifted a heavy curtain through a gripping multimedia presentation on an uncomfortable but alarmingly common struggle — addiction. After playing a short clip from his Emmynominated documentary, Unguarded, Herren paused to speak to his young audience.
“Addiction doesn’t look like what you think it looks like,” he warned.
With his heart on his sleeve and a mission in hand, Herren continued to tell the story of how his career as a professional athlete ended just as quickly as it began, at the hands of drugs and alcohol.
Herren, 46, grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts, an hour outside of Boston. A legacy athlete, Herren continued his family’s multigenerational tradition of playing basketball for B.M.C. Durfee High School. After breaking the school’s career points record and catching the eye of several Division I colleges, Herren was named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year and earned a spot on the McDonald’s All-America Team. He continued his educational and athletic journey at Boston College before transferring to Fresno State.
Chris Herren Speaks on Addiction
“The focus oftentimes is on the worst day when it comes to speaking about addiction. We need to understand how this begins rather than how it ends. Prevention starts on the first day.” – Chris Herren
After a successful college run, Herren entered the 1999 NBA draft and was selected by the Denver Nuggets. The following year, he was traded to the Boston Celtics and became a regular starter. With impressive game statistics and a drive to build a long professional career, Herren had a world of opportunities in front of him.
But Herren’s career came to a crashing halt in December of 2007, when he was arrested for possession of heroin. Six months later, Herren overdosed and crashed his car into a utility pole. Herren shared with the Berwick audience that this sudden halt was more of a slow burn that started over a decade earlier, when he was first introduced to drugs as a teenager.
“I think when it comes to drugs, we all think about the worst day and we forget the first day,” Herren said. “I think it’s very relevant. We talk about what’s going to happen in the end, rather than why it’s beginning.”
Herren has spent the last 10 years traveling the country speaking to students, families, and professional athletes about his struggle with addiction and how he fought to overcome it. The former NBA player uses his story to forewarn audiences of all ages and backgrounds about the dangers of drug use. Herren encouraged students to understand the power of their words and actions, even from a young age.
“I thought it was very powerful,” Cameron Hamilton ’23 said. “He did a good job connecting with the audience and just making them think a lot — not a lot of blaming, but deeper questions, and I think it’ll help create conversation.”
Herren’s plea to the Berwick community was simple: speak up for yourself and speak up for others before it’s too late.
“This is where I want to be,” Herren said. “I think it’s the right time that we can challenge and start to educate, and [young people] can look at this through a different lens.”
Science Across All Divisions
by Jamie Reynolds, Director of Communications
One of the many exciting benefits of a campus with students ranging from PreKindergarten to Grade 12 is the ability to work together on projects across divisions. This year, the sixth grade science students worked with Upper School students on two different projects.
In the fall, tenth graders from the Integrated Biology and Chemistry class spent time in the sixth grade science classroom and explained cohesion and adhesion in water. Divided into groups, the Upper School students presented hands-on activities, which demonstrated the various properties of water.
This winter, sixth graders studied the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an invasive insect that is currently killing Eastern Hemlock trees up and down the East Coast. Students went to local public land to identify the insect in the wild and report data to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, tasked with tracking the bug as it moves north. The Upper School Pinnacle Biology class, an advanced science elective, joined one of the trips to find these insects. The sixth graders helped their older counterparts identify the bug while the eleventh and twelfth graders helped build a deeper understanding of the damage invasive species can cause to an ecosystem.
Invasive Species Confronted
As the largest state in New England, Maine is home to more than 1,500 native plant species, many of which can be found on the Berwick Academy campus and surrounding area. Like most ecosystems, territorial lines are blurred as adventitious species often find their way onto foreign soil. Invasive species pose a threat to native habitats when they compete with resident organisms for resources.
Heidi Duehmig’s fifth grade science students were able to gain firsthand experience when they researched invasive plant species on the Berwick campus in the fall. During this unit, Oliver Markewicz, district forester from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, visited campus to identify the species in Berwick’s arboretum. Using this information and a little research, students identified a patch of the invasive Euonymus alatus, commonly known as winged spindle or burning bush, right outside their classroom. Native to central and northern China, Japan, and Korea, the shrub, known for its bright, fire-like color in the fall, can form dense thickets and displace many native plant species.
Having just learned about the tendencies invasive species have to compromise the health of local plants, the fifth graders took action to address this serious concern. The class presented to the Berwick administration in December, sharing information about burning bush, how it spreads, and ideas for alternative plants for that location, offering a wide variety of options. The students prepared slides to accompany their presentation and each student had a speaking role. The presentation ended with an open Q&A as students fielded questions, displaying their expertise and passion for the subject. The invasive species will be removed this spring based on the recommendations of the fifth graders.
Celebrating 50 Years in the Middle School
The Berwick Academy Middle School reached a noteworthy milestone this winter and, on one brisk Friday afternoon in December, students and faculty converged to celebrate a very special semicentennial occasion.
In the final weeks of 2021, Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs and Director of Middle School Ryan Feeley shared his thoughts on the 50th anniversary of Berwick’s Middle School and what it means for not just the Middle School community, but for Berwick Academy as a whole. He first explained how this golden anniversary was almost overlooked.
“It was late October or early November when the seventh and eighth graders were meeting in the Great Room,” Feeley says. “We usually meet once a week for a mini assembly and I happen to be at this meeting standing next to Chris Onken, our seventh grade English teacher, who was looking up at this banner hanging in the Great Room and he said, ’You see that? That says 40 years in 2011.’”
With only a few weeks before the holiday season and winter break, Feeley was relieved that, although the window of opportunity was narrow, it was still open. A day of festivities was held for the Middle School students, faculty, and staff on December 10. The day began with a Middle School assembly, where community members reflected on the past with the help of Archivist and Upper School history teacher, Brad Fletcher.
Fletcher illuminated the gym with photos spanning the last five decades. He shared stories of retired demerit systems, wild student behavior, and the beloved 1974 Director of Middle School, Bill Matthews, Sr., once sarcastically referring to his students as “little monsters” in an interview for the then school paper, Berwick Briefs.
It was easy to see the physical differences in photos (and the 1970s dress code), but when asked about what has changed most since 1971, Feeley focused on compassion at Berwick.
“The way we approach discipline now is very different than it might have been in the early 70s. Now I think it’s a little bit more about holding the kids accountable, while also finding learning opportunities,” he says. “There’s a counseling side of it to educate students on how to avoid making poor choices in the future. I think back then it was a much more hardline approach.”
Feeley also spoke of the evolution of teaching, “I certainly think our approaches in the classroom are different now. You see a lot more student-centered teaching. There is more focus on engaging the kids in a variety of ways so that different types of learners can express and show what they understand and learn and what they can do, as opposed to maybe a more traditional approach that existed back then.”
Conversations of change, growth, and development were heard all around campus on the day of the 50th anniversary celebration, but Feeley elaborated on a constant that still rings true today; the students are the heart of the Middle School. “I love this age because they’re at a really unique stage in their development, where they can be really immature in one moment and then be brilliant 30 seconds later. We see kids all the time who can’t figure out where they put their backpack, but then they come up with some elaborate solution to a problem in math class or make some incredible insightful comment for a discussion in an English class. It’s that sort of up and down where they’re right on that cusp between concrete and abstract thinker that, to me, is really exciting.”
He also discussed the two primary factors he considers when judging the success that the Middle School has seen over the last half a century — the right setting and the right people.
“I think we have an environment where kids who are at a naturally uncomfortable stage in their lives have a place where they can feel pretty comfortable,” Feeley says. “Very few people would say, ’I want to be 13 again,’ because it is such a hard age. The fact that we provide this space for development is really important.”
If the students are the heart of the Middle School, there is no doubt that the faculty and staff are the soul. “These are people,” Feeley says, “who choose to work with this age group specifically. They have a level of flexibility, a sense of humor, and a certain amount of patience that’s required. They understand what these kids are going through, and they’re able to access the kids because they have that understanding.”
An advisory video challenge called on students to predict what life would be like at Berwick in the year 2071. From flying school buses to teachers in spacesuits, it was obvious that to pre-teens 50 years sounds like an eternity away. The winners of the challenge predicted a future class of students examining unrecognizable artifacts like markers and a piece of paper. While the abolition of markers and paper is most likely further away than 2071, Feeley is considering how our current reality is impacting a future that may be closer than we think.
“We’re at a really interesting time not just in the Middle School, but in education generally,” Feeley says. “There’s a lot happening in the world when you think about the impact of the pandemic. You think about a mental health crisis and political polarization in this country. I think over the next five to 10 years, we need to really focus our energy on teaching kids about civil discourse.”
Feeley has big plans for how today’s students can start preparing for the future of the world they will soon inherit.
“We’ve talked a lot about finding ways for kids to take more ownership and be real stakeholders in their learning.” Feeley also expressed his excitement for how the mindset of personal ownership and civic responsibility is being brought into classroom projects. Most recently, students have started work on portfolios with an objective of determining how they learn individually so they can advocate for themselves in future learning experiences.
The final event of the 50th anniversary day of celebration was a student-led table tennis tournament, which included birthday cake and music. As a group, they ended the day of celebration the best way they could — together.
Jessie Harley ’15 Teaches Sign Language
by Julie Alexander, World Languages and Cultures Department Chair
Through the leadership of Jessie Harley ’15, Introduction to American Sign Language (ASL) is being offered as a trimester course at Berwick for the first time.
Much to the delight of the World Languages and Cultures Department (WLC), the class was overenrolled, filling up quickly with a mix of tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders. While students are learning to fingerspell and sign words, they are also exploring deaf culture and community, and how to apply their receptive and expressive ASL skills through real discourse.
“ASL is incredibly fun, thought-provoking, and asks us to think about language and culture in a way we have never thought about before,” wrote one of Harley’s students. “Ms. Harley is an engaging, energetic teacher, who clearly finds joy in teaching us ASL.”
In addition to being a Berwick graduate, Harley has long been a familiar face to Lower School students in After Care and also served as a teaching apprentice at Berwick while she completed her master’s program through Lesley College. Ironically, Harley didn’t find her niche in the WLC Department while she was a student at Berwick; she discovered her affinity for American Sign Language during her undergraduate career at the University of New Hampshire.
“ASL with Ms. Harley has been so much fun,” another student added. “From learning basic signs to more about the deaf community, it’s been one of my favorite classes at Berwick.” “ASL is incredibly fun, thoughtprovoking, and asks us to think about language and culture in a way we have never thought about before.” – ASL student
Lunch & Learn
by Jennifer Brewer, Director of Jackson Library, Lower School Librarian
Despite the emergence of digital technology and resources, libraries remain community hubs. The American Association of School Libraries lists six foundational goals for building and maintaining successful library programs — inquire, include, collaborate, curate, explore, and engage. Around 2012, Berwick’s library staff began brainstorming ways to bring the Lower School faculty to the Jackson Library more often. At the time, many public libraries had initiated lunch programs and workshops. Using a similar blueprint, beginning in 2013, faculty were invited to the library once a month to enjoy in-house professional development experiences through sharing, learning, and delicious food. Out of that pilot program, Lunch & Learn was born and quickly became an integral part of the Lower School experience by providing teachers with a platform for collaboration, inquiry, and engagement.
Meetings take place on the third Thursday of the month in the Katz Lower School Library. In the first session of 2022, teachers joined Maker in Residence John Ibsen in the Fabrication Studio, where he spoke on “Building a Maker Space Experience for Your Class.” Each attendee had the opportunity to design a name plaque and have it run off on the Glowforge Laser Cutter. In February, Ellie Summers, the Lower School academic support coordinator, followed with a presentation entitled, “What Does Executive Function Mean to You?”
More Lunch & Learns are planned for the remainder of the academic year. Previous topics have included the project approach, observational drawing, nature play, and coding. These opportunities rely on the support of the Berwick Parent Community, who generously volunteer their time to chaperone Lower School lunch while the faculty participate in this important Lunch & Learn program.
