Students Making Connections Across the Grades - Holy Trinity School

BY MELANIE VAN DE WATER, DEAN OF STUDENTS

One of my most cherished novels growing up was Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. I connected to the feeling of this small community in the American Midwest where everyone knew each other – parents, children, community members and teachers. Not surprisingly, as a child I found it difficult to believe that children of all ages could learn together under one roof. How was this possible? In the novel, there was one schoolhouse in the community, often with one teacher. In today’s day and age, with so many types of learning opportunities, this one-room schoolhouse feels like a thing of the past. But in fact, HTS is rather special in being one of the very few leading co-educational independent schools where all students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 learn in the same building, under the same roof. There are several aspects of this type of learning that can be beneficial for learners and teachers, creating that community feel within the walls of HTS.

Having students of all ages under one roof provides an opportunity for connection. This is often seen in our weekly Chapel services. Three mornings per week, our school community is led in Chapel by our school Chaplain, Father Crowther. Our Prefects walk the younger students in, holding hands as they join other students and staff to participate in talks on empathy, respect, integrity and courage. The entire community is a part of the same messaging on our values and traditions. Many of our graduates say they look back on Chapel as a pivotal part of their HTS education. At alumni reunions, it is common to hear former students break into renditions of Chapel songs as they reflect on what they remember most from their time at HTS.

There are purposeful connections between ages across all divisions. During Middle School Flexible Learning EXperience (FLEX) periods, the Middles to Littles program pairs up our Middle School students with Kindergartners as reading buddies. Our wellness program is led by students in Grades 5 through 12, who work together to provide messaging on health and well-being to our school community. Our experiential learning opportunities take these connections outside the school walls, pairing our senior leaders with students in Grades 4 through 8 during our Breakaway Trips with ALIVE Outdoors, and during the winter overnight programs at the Bark Lake Leadership and Conference Centre and Camp Wanakita.

Our House system also brings our students together across all divisions. When students are enrolled at HTS, they are assigned in one of the six Houses, which they remain a part of through their time at school. Siblings, cousins and other family members are all part of the same house, and on days such as the Father Bob Run and Trinco Day, the colours, face paint and flair are as abundant as the smiles on all faces. The House system is used throughout the year, not just for spirit events but also for unique innovative programming. Events such as these give the younger students the opportunity to learn alongside our Middle and Senior School students.

While there is planned programming across all three divisions, having our students under one roof provides the opportunity for spontaneous, genuine connections. There are waves from the younger students to the seniors as they exit the Dining Hall from lunch; there are hugs in the hallway for a counsellor or a reading buddy. Throughout the day, there are high-fives and fist bumps between students after a Chapel presentation or announcement gone well. These unplanned interactions give our students the ability to grow and learn alongside each other. While it may seem that the old schoolhouse is part of days gone by, this schoolhouse feeling is alive and well within the walls of HTS.