Foxcroft Notebook
topic with activities that got girls outside and into the fresh air while prompting exploration of our spectacular campus by hiking, mapping our trails, identifying wildlife habitats, and gardening. TRAINING VOICES FOR GOOD Civil Discourse opportunities ranged from participating in the Empowering Female Voices program (see article on page 16 of this issue) and Model UN debates, learning what it was like for faculty members to live under a dictatorship abroad, or even challenging the idea of social norms after watching and discussing an episode of “The Twilight Zone” to develop
Wintermission Pivots to WeekendMission
the skills required for exchanging ideas respectfully. STRETCHING YOUR COMFORT ZONE Some of the classes provided crossover benefits by satisfying requirements for more than one area of focus.
A weeklong departure from their normal class schedule, Wintermission offers students an opportunity to enjoy an immersive experience exploring new topics and developing new skills outside of the classroom. With the academic schedule adjustments and distance learning periods in place during COVID, we were charged with reimagining Wintermission to give students the same opportunities for experiential learning — and so WeekendMission came to be. Our “mission” remained the same, but the ways we achieved it were a bit different.
Girls who participated in the basic car maintenance class not only learned those valuable life skills, they might have also stretched their comfort zone when they successfully changed a flat tire or been enlightened about the inherent STEAM aspects involved in anything automotive. AND SO MUCH MORE ... Our girls enjoyed a wide range of fun, engaging, and enlightening experiences that expanded their horizons. Whether they attended yoga, hooping, juggling, and walking the tightrope
WEEKENDMISSION Using innovative teaching practices and taking advantage of the uniquely beautiful setting of Foxcroft and our regional resources, WeekendMission provided students with the opportunity for choice, exploration, and the development of real-world skills.
classes, or workshopped the art of storytelling, artistic expression of rap and graffiti, or photo editing skills in Adobe Lightroom, all in all, it was a terrific way to reimagine experiential learning.
Each weekend, members of the faculty offered classes, workshops, or experiences from one of seven areas of focus: Wellness, Service, Civil Discourse, Environmental Stewardship, STEAM, Life Skills, and Stretching Your Comfort Zone. Students earned badges for eight accrued hours — or certificates of accomplishment for 18 accrued hours — to a given area of exploration, acknowledging their work toward gaining skills in one or more of these seven non-academic fields. Both recognitions were intended to encourage students to engage with on-campus activities and to tie together the School’s vision, WinterMission, and our goals for community engagement.
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Foxcroft Notebook
EXPLORING THE ENVIRONMENT Environmental Stewardship was a popular WeekendMission
