9 minute read
Around Campus Spotlight
Around Campus
The grins of these fifth graders and teacher Jon Byrd ’76 represent well the happiness that has come with a methodical loosening of COVID restrictions. While key safety protocols remain to help ensure community health, we are again enjoying interscholastic sports, the sounds of instruments and singers wafting across campus, and actors beaming under Ward Hall spotlights. A Middle School rendition of Sherlock Holmes and the 1st Baker Street Irregular in November marked the first main stage production at Fenn since March 2020. Community gatherings for service learning projects, DEI programs, PA events, and Kane Gallery viewings of an explosion of student art have been equally welcomed! We also continue to embrace activities born during the pandemic. Outdoor Adventure, for one, remains a popular sports alternative for students who enjoy canoeing, fishing, hiking, archery, and exploring nature. Turn the page for a snapshot of our fall and early winter, as well as faculty, staff, and trustee introductions and appointments!
Five years ago, faculty member Brendon Bates introduced the idea of a Lower School pact that would empower students to identify behaviors that they would aspire to uphold within the division that year. School President Luke Waldeck and Vice President Alexander Murdough, both current ninth graders, were members of the fifth grade class that relished the task—so much so that they recommended Fenn pursue a school-wide pact for the 2021-22 school year. Across grades and divisions, students began brainstorming the areas on which they most wanted the Pact to focus. “Some of the most important conversations happened during the divisional discussions,” shared Ryan Miklusak, faculty partner to Brendon Bates on the effort. “One seventh grade student who is normally on the quieter side had the opportunity to speak to his classmates with the spotlight solely on him. This may not have been a comfortable situation for him normally, but he spoke with courage and pride. This is what the process is all about.” After weeks of discussion, one student was selected from each grade to represent his peers in a constitutional convention led by Brendon and Ryan. As they navigated a structured process that helped them to identify three specific guidelines for the Fenn community, delegates learned about consensus and compromise, how best to represent an entire school community, and how a ratification process works. “One of the things I took away from working on this committee was an understanding of how other ages think,” shared ninth-grade delegate Gabe Fonte. “Even though I’ve been at Fenn since fourth grade, I learned that kids in the grades below me think differently now than when I was at their grade level. It was important that we heard voices from every grade. The impact we all can have helps Fenn become diverse and inclusive of all kids.” After delegates agreed on and presented the guidelines that would form this year’s “Blue and Gold Pact,” the entire community formally accepted them during an October 22nd ratification ceremony at All School Meeting. Each community member stepped forward to sign a large banner displaying the guidelines. Sixth-grade delegate Michael You welcomed the opportunity to represent his fellow students during the process. “The ‘Blue and Gold Pact’ is important not just to me, but to the whole school, because it sets some reachable guidelines for everyone to follow. This is an easy way to improve our community, and it’s great to see others making a difference.” George Taggart, the seventh-grade delegate, equally understood the Pact’s importance to the student body: “The pact shows what Fenn is—a school community that is kind and respectful. I appreciate that Fenn is always coming up with new ideas to make the school awesome for all students.” Two banners bearing the guidelines are proudly displayed on-campus—the signed version near the Hammett Ory Library and another on the outside of the Campus Center. Both are lasting reminders of the power of student voice, agency, and leadership. “This opportunity helped to put Sua Sponte into words that everyone could understand,” remarked Brendon. “The guidelines are the students’ way of bringing to life The Fenn School mission statement and core values of honesty, respect, empathy, and courage.”
“It was important that we heard voices from every grade. The impact we all can have helps Fenn become diverse and inclusive of all kids.” – Gabe Fonte, ninth-grade delegate
All School Meeting Reimagined
A cornerstone of The Fenn School experience are weekly All School Meetings. With COVID protocols challenging our ability to gather as a community in Ward Hall at the start of the school year, we were inspired to get creative to unite faculty, staff, and students outside all-too-familiar Zoom screens. Outdoors was the answer, even in brisk temperatures that required bundling up and huddling up.
The open field before the Advancement Office was our temporary Ward Hall, with a speaker system carrying the sounds of presentations and announcements spanning senior reflections, school updates, sports recaps, art project reveals, and steel drum, hip-hop, and improv comedy performances. The field even hosted an all-school line dance of the Cupid Shuffle accompanied by the school band and the 2021 rendition of A Fenn Christmas Carol. We enjoyed our gathering spot until weather prompted a shift indoors.
Extemporaneous Speaking Contest Entertains for 70th Year
The voice of Athletic Director Bob Starensier had been haunting the dreams of ninth grader Max Lo. Well, not really, but that is how Max riffed during Fenn’s 70th Extemporaneous Speaking Contest on December 10 after receiving the topic: “You know that little voice in the back of your head, well I met it.” Library Teacher Jill MacKinnon, part of a judging trio with DEI Intern Brian Padilla and Auxiliary Staff Member Kai Rogers, bestowed the contest’s first place award on Max. His impressive command of the stage and audience and ability to relate the topic to life at Fenn earned him the prize.
Honorable Mention awards went to sixth grader Patch Remington for his response to “The Worst Sound in the World” and to eighth grader Jack Tyson who had to describe his “Most Annoying Super Power.” Jack’s surprising answer was powerful coughing, which he repeatedly convinced the audience was not due to COVID. A sure sign of the times! Both students received accolades for their fantastic stage presence, humor, and animated storytelling.
All finalists across grades six through nine relished their moment in the spotlight, approaching the contest with confidence, creativity, and good humor that carried from Ward Hall to the Zoom screens of Fenn classrooms and offices. Finalists included sixth graders Ruben Lee, Cass Myler, and Michael You; seventh graders Owen Beauvais, Evan Beetham, Penn Boger, and George Taggart; and eighth graders Eston Brainerd, Thomas Doherty, Henry Gaasch, and Jack Tyson.
Woodworking Lessons Come to Life at This Old House Renovation
There was no toiling away in the Fenn shop during the Upper School woodworking class on November 10. Instead, Paul Heinze’s Wood Shop class was treated to a visit to an 1880 New England Cape nearby campus in Concord that Silva Brothers Construction was renovating for episodes of the popular PBS show This Old House. General Contractor Charlie Silva provided an inside look at the renovation, highlighting his crew’s efforts to maintain the historic integrity of the home. Questions from the Fenn visitors were thoughtful ones, prompting Charlie to share his sincere appreciation for the woodworking study that countless generations of Fenn students have enjoyed. For a window into this renovation, look for Season 43 episodes at ThisOldHouse.com!
