Lower School Year In Review

THE LOWER SCHOOL: A YEAR IN REVIEW

By Gregory Schnitzlein

It is hard to believe the transition that has occurred in our lower school over the course of the past nine months. I am left with a sense of pride at the resilience and strength of our community, as well as a feeling of satisfaction. All I can think upon reflection is, “Look how far we have come!”

The past school year reinforced the importance of personal connections in the lives of our lower school boys and families. It was a year that saw the return of many important aspects of our school community that we had been missing over the past few years.

We connected through long-established traditions and some new events. The entire lower school community was brought together for an incredible Movie Night with fireworks on the lower turf field. We celebrated Halloween with our traditional parade around campus and this year, we also held a pumpkin carving, went trick-or-treating, and heard stories from Mr. Post on our western campus. The fifth grade tie ceremony returned to the Student Commons and allowed us to celebrate the important role men play in the lives and growth of our boys. We also celebrated the arts with a concert for families in the Iglehart Center, and afterward, families toured the lower school as it was transformed into an art gallery.

Along with those events and rites of passage, later in the year, masks were lifted. Our community was able to see a smile, a frown, and all the expressions in between. boys, our fifth grade boys and kindergarteners and pre-firsters met weekly as the buddy program thrived once again. Our oldest and youngest in the division read, played, talked and made connections that will last long after their time on Lake Avenue. Upper and middle school boys also participated in events with our lower school boys during Black History Month and on One Love Day. Although you can learn much from a teacher, the perspective provided by older (and younger) Lakers can often be so much more impactful to our boys.

Our youngest Lakers were also able to make connections with each other through learning opportunities outside the classroom. Grades visited the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Mt. Vernon, Gettysburg, Oregon Ridge and Genesee Valley. They released trout raised in the science room at the tailwaters of Lake Roland and participated in archaeological digs on our own campus. The fifth grade camped for two nights at the Calleva Farm in Dickerson, Maryland, where the boys challenged themselves on high and low ropes courses, rode mountain bikes and horses and canoed.

This was a year to reconnect and focus on what makes Boys’ Latin an incredible place for our boys and families. Through courage, compassion, and integrity, our boys have grown throughout the year and I am able to honestly say, “Look how far we have come and look how far we can go!”