Cougar Connections

COUGAR

Connections

In more ways than one, Collegiate fosters connections that last a lifetime. Whether it is between Seniors and Kindergartners sharing stories or faculty members working together to promote the best education for our students, the way we sustain relationships keeps our community strong.

The Lessons of Friendship

The friendships between Seniors and their Kindergarten buddies serve as a representation of Collegiate’s strong community.

Angelo Parker ’22 looks out on a Grover Jones Field emblazoned in green and gold. It’s the day of Convocation, the School’s annual celebration that kicks off the year, and on top of Angelo’s shoulders is his Kindergarten buddy, Jack Jenkins ’34, who is wearing the smile of someone that has just made a new best friend. The two met earlier that week as part of Collegiate’s tradition of pairing each Senior with a Kindergarten buddy, and both of them immediately recognized the strength of their relationship. For Angelo, who came to Collegiate as a 4th Grader, the friendship signified the culmination of his career as a Cougar. During previous Convocation ceremonies, Angelo remembers watching the Seniors bond with their buddies, waiting with eager anticipation for the day that he would get his own buddy. Then his Senior year came, and the moment to meet his buddy arrived. “Convocation was a really special moment for me and Jack,” Angelo recalls. “I finally made it to this point in life where I could have my Kindergarten buddy on my shoulders, and to see Jack smiling and laughing made me smile and laugh. Jack looked as though he was on top of the world, and that almost brought tears to my eyes. It made me feel like a Cougar.” The friendship grew from there. The two spend their time reading books together, talking about dinosaurs and robots (Jack, because of his fascination with dinosaurs, can’t bring himself to appreciate robots the same way Angelo does) and discussing classwork. Most importantly, though, having a Kindergarten buddy has given Angelo a leadership role. “Jack looks up to me a lot,” he says. “It’s really meaningful when a younger student looks up to you. He sees me as a leader, which means I have to be the best version of myself as a mentor so that he can become the best version of himself.” A mentorship role can bear many responsibilities, but Angelo sees himself as a friend first and foremost — somebody for Jack to rely on and to trust. “I really feel like I am there for Jack as a friend,” Angelo says. “It’s good to know you have a friend in Kindergarten, because that makes me feel comfortable, and my role is to make him feel comfortable, too, as a new student at Collegiate.” Like so many great friendships, the bond between Angelo and Jack has led to more connections, including between the students’ families. “Angelo has legitimately become one of Jack’s best friends, and through it we have developed such a wonderful friendship with Angelo’s family,” says Jack’s father Peyton Jenkins ’00. Like all great friendships, the relationship between Angelo and Jack has revealed things about their own character. “Through Angelo’s actions,” he continues, “Jack is learning what it’s like to be in a position of influence. He’s learning how to be a gentleman, to be fun, to be gracious and how to be a light to someone else.” Through friendship there are lessons. This philosophy, Angelo says, is an embodiment of the Collegiate spirit. The unique connection between Seniors and Kindergartners demonstrates the unity of the School. “Collegiate is just a really strong community because of connections like these,” Angelo explains. “It is because of the Senior and Kindergarten buddy pairings that relationships among other grade levels are so strong.”

Lifelong Pals

The Cougar Pals program connects new students that have just been admitted to the School with a current student of the same age, and those connections often last a lifetime.

If you were stuck on an island, who would be the three people you’d choose to be stranded there with? Some time ago, Catherine Horner ’22 recalls being asked this unusual question. The first person that comes to her mind is her Cougar Pal, Lauren Watts ’22. Horner’s reasoning is simple: “Lauren is my best friend, and she’s going to be in my life forever.” That friendship began when Lauren arrived at Collegiate as a Freshman and was paired with Catherine as her Cougal Pal. Collegiate School’s Cougar Pals program connects new students that have just been admitted to the School with a current student of the same age. The relationship helps make the transition into a new educational environment easier. Who can I sit with at lunch? Where are my classes? Who will I play with at recess? With a Cougar Pal at a student’s side, the questions that might add unnecessary stress to the transition into a new school are alleviated. Students can then focus on their education and their relationships with classmates and teachers. When Lauren enrolled at Collegiate, she recalls how smooth her first week of school went because of her Cougar Pal; she arrived at Collegiate with a new friend there to greet her. “I was so nervous that first week of school,” Lauren says. “I didn’t know what to do. But I had Catherine, and that made the entire experience a million times better.” The friendship blossomed from there. Sometimes Catherine and Lauren spend hours talking to each other, as only friends who share the same appreciation for life and who hold the same values can. Sometimes the topics are frivolous — like Lauren’s insistence that Catherine listen to more Taylor Swift — but other times their conversations reach depths that surprise them. “We go to the lake together often,” Catherine explains, “and we just stargaze, and both of us have such an appreciation for the multitude of stars and how beautiful it all is. It’s so special that I’ve found someone I can share that with.” 6th Grader Benjamin Lambert ’28 had a similar experience with his Cougar Pal Mercer Hutcheson ’28 when he came to Collegiate this year. “It made me feel really good to know someone before I even started classes,” Benjamin says. “Mercer was welcoming, and I knew I had someone I could play with at recess or just talk to whenever I wanted.” Benjamin and Mercer have become a dynamic duo at quarterback and wide receiver during football games at recess. Mercer, who assumes the position of quarterback, says he enjoys having another friend around that loves football as much as he does. “I think it’s great because you always have that one friend that you can look to for help or if you just want to play something like football with a friend,” he explains. “Everyone needs to have a good day, and that’s what friends and Cougar Pals are there for.”

Writing Connections Into Existence

Students in the Cougar Writing Center have found a space to share ideas through writing advice.

Writing is always a personal act. Each line is an articulation of thought, something internal made public and stamped on a piece of paper or screen. With each essay, story or poem a writer says, “Here’s what I think.” The intimacy and boldness of putting thought to paper is a daunting task for some students to approach. But the process can also be a communal endeavor precisely because it requires the sharing of thoughts and the vocalization of what might be difficult to say in any other way, because the reason for writing is to think about situations that are so complex that you need a special space to think about them. For students in the Middle School, the Cougar Writing Center, a peer-to-peer writing center that is staffed by trained student mentors and supervised by a teacher, offers that space. Each Wednesday during Activity Period in room 127 of Flippen Hall, students can come seek writing help from 8th Graders who were identified by their teachers as strong writers and exceptional communicators. One of the only Middle School peer-to-peer writing centers in the country, the Cougar Writing Center is an excellent resource for writers with questions ranging from rules of syntactical composition to essay planning. However, because the center involves that intimate act of writing, the mentors often find themselves connecting with the students they are advising — even when discussing something as technical as grammar usage. “As a writing mentor, you approach students as a peer,” explains Macy Boyer ’26. “It’s nice to be able to work with them and be their friend. I’ve found the mentorship process fun, especially when I work with little 5th Graders, because I remember when I was their age, and through writing I get to re-experience that again.” The mentors will never tell a student what to write, but through the advisory exercise they connect with the story a student is trying to tell. To best cultivate a student’s voice, the mentor must try to connect with the student on a deeper level. Take, for example, one 5th Grader Macy worked with during one writing session. “I was helping this student with a personal essay he was working on,” she explains, “and I was able to relate to some of the personal experiences he was writing about. I usually try to subtly get to know them throughout the process. I ask things like, ‘What are some of your personal experiences that brought you to think about this in such a way?’ A lot of times writing is like a voice, and by relating to them on a personal note, I understand them better and help them write a bit better.” Baxter Phillips ’26, another mentor in the Cougar Writing Center, appreciates the space the center creates because he feels it allows students to bond through their writing. “Writing is a form that allows you to put down your ideas and be creative,” he says, “and what you do share with others — well, it’s fun because you can share ideas that are difficult to say.” Sometimes being a mentor is as simple as just being there with students as they read a sentence out loud, perfecting the musicality of a phrase. Just being there — that’s friendship. “It’s exciting to hear other people’s stories,” Baxter says. “I meet students in the writing center and then I see them in the halls and I feel like I really know them. Only through the process of writing can you form a connection with that level of strength so quickly.”

Compassionate Mentorship

By giving each new faculty member a mentor, Collegiate creates an environment with a sustained commitment to supporting the excellence of others.

To be a compassionate leader means being a supportive and encouraging teammate. This is why, when a new faculty member is hired at Collegiate, the School connects that new member of the team with a current team member, creating an environment with a sustained commitment to supporting the excellence of others. When Rachael Rachau, Middle and Upper School Instructional Technology Coach, came to Collegiate in the summer of 2021, the first person she met was her mentor Elizabeth Kerr, Upper School Head Librarian, who supported her as she settled in. “Elizabeth helped me feel comfortable here before classes really got moving,” Mrs. Rachau says. “And it’s really nice to have someone to rely on and that I can come to with any questions I might have.” Collegiate is a unique educational environment, and the faculty mentor helps new members of the Collegiate community integrate into that environment, which allows them to thrive. Mrs. Kerr, who has been at Collegiate for four years now, says it has been fun helping Mrs. Rachau connect with the School. “I can explain what Brunch is, for example, and I can explain what Feast of Juul is,” she says. “And then what I’ve really enjoyed is helping Rachael make connections with teachers, introducing her to those broader connections that will help her excel with the teachers she works with in the classroom.” The pair work together as excellent teammates, collaborating to give the best educational experience to Collegiate’s students. Although Mrs. Rachau frequently visits other classrooms in her position, both she and Mrs. Kerr are stationed in the Upper School Library. “The fact that we’re both in these classroom support roles is really helpful,” Mrs. Rachau says. “So much of our work is about building relationships, making connections and helping other teachers and students succeed, and since we have that in common in our work, Elizabeth has helped me figure out what that collaboration looks like here at Collegiate.” Coming to Collegiate with more than a decade of work as an educator, Mrs. Rachau shares her own experiences and perspectives with Mrs. Kerr. “Rachael brings a wealth of knowledge to Collegiate,” Mrs. Kerr explains. “And with her expertise we can discuss best practices in the library and best practices to support technology usage in education.” The two have worked closely to bring a team approach to the teaching of digital citizenship and technological literacy. Bringing awareness to how we use technology, how we engage with the digital world and how that might influence the way we perceive others is something both Mrs. Kerr and Mrs. Rachau are passionate about. “There are a number of digital citizenship and digital health and wellness learning opportunities happening across all three divisions,” Mrs. Rachau explains. “But we want to solidify what’s working well and we want to add intentionally to the practice. In our shared capacities as technology facilitator and librarian, our connection and shared passion of the subject helps improve our work.” Ultimately, working in unison as a team helps strengthen the community, and in their relationship as mentor and mentee, Mrs. Kerr and Mrs. Rachau are collaborating to help the School excel. “We work well together as mentor and mentee,” Mrs. Kerr says. “Our goal is to help people — to help educate our students — and in that regard our connection has been a natural fit for us.”

Impactful Care

Students working under the tutelage of Collegiate’s Head Athletic Trainer learn about the compassion involved in medical care.

The rehabilitation process for athletes can be long and arduous. And with the end goal of getting yourself back to the action as quickly as possible, the work required can be a series of frustrations. Compassionate Athletic Trainers (AT) who know the injured athletes — ATs that can connect with them in the process of caring for them — are crucial to the work of rehabilitation.

To work with an athlete that has just undergone knee surgery — and to shepherd them from crutches to walking to jogging and finally back to sprinting — requires the Athletic Trainer to have a special connection with the athlete. This is something that students Emily Deskevich ’22 and Kate Riopelle ’22 are learning under the tutelage of Shannon Winston, who has served as Collegiate’s Head Athletic Trainer since 1998. Emily and Kate work as athletic training student aides to Ms. Winston. The role gives the students athletic credit and the opportunity to help with the daily operations in the training room. They learn to tend to sore aches and pains and pulls with the guidance from a consummate professional in her field of expertise. Emily and Kate, in this apprenticeship role, also learn how to connect with the athletes. They learn how to build trust with students that visit the training room every day. They learn the technical work of treating an injury while simultaneously learning to listen with care and respect. This growth does not happen in an instant. But as the students work with Ms. Winston, they begin to learn how to function with independent confidence in the training room and on the field of play. “I love watching the growth of the students that work with me,” Ms. Winston says. “By the end of the season the students have really grown. They can treat kids with confidence because they have developed confidence in their leadership and communication skills and in their ability to treat athletes.” So much of that confidence comes from a student’s ability to connect with an athlete. “When our athletic training student aides learn what an injured athlete is going through, they develop an understanding of the role an Athletic Trainer serves,” Ms. Winston says. “To develop that trust with a student-athlete as a student yourself is a really great relationship to see in the training room.” For Emily and Kate, the opportunity to work with Ms. Winston allows them to think more concretely about their own medical careers. “I’ve always known I wanted to do something in the medical field,” Emily explains, “but I wasn’t fully aware of the possibilities. Working in the training room this season has helped me explore my options.” And it’s not only Ms. Winston the students are collaborating with; when working athletic events, Emily and Kate are constantly interacting with other medical professionals, such as EMTs and Dr. Paul Caldwell ’88, a professional orthopedic surgeon and Collegiate’s team doctor. “It’s great to know that professionals like Dr. Caldwell are willing to teach me and willing to help me learn,” Emily says. “And I think the community support we’re given is really encouraging.” That communal environment facilitated in the training room is something that excites both Emily and Kate. It is also something that makes them feel connected to Collegiate’s student-athletes. “Going to the training room is my favorite part of the day,” Kate says. “I feel like, in the training room, you’re part of every sports team. You feel connected. And to be able to help one of your classmates through an injury because of that connection is really exciting and special.”

Pictures in Conversation

Students in the Inkpot Club collaborated with the Lower School for a special project.

What is the nature of the relationship between art and words, whether in books, paintings or any other form that brings them together? And what about the nature of collaboration between artists across mediums? Those questions have been explored many times before — the expressive result evident in everything from books to animated movies — and are now being explored by our very own Cougars. In the case of Upper School students in the Inkpot Club, who for the last few months have been working with 4th Grade students to create a picture book that tells the stories of Collegiate School, the answer to such creative union is one of engaging and colorful collaboration. The project began when Junior Lauryn Tolliver ’23, founder and president of Inkpot, had the idea of writing a book for students in the Lower School. “I thought it would be a great idea to bring the Lower Schoolers in to help create the book themselves,” Lauryn explains. “Because to have that collaborative engagement with students in another division is unique.” Students in Inkpot, a creative writing club in the Upper School, began with writing the stories that comprise the The Collegiate Book of Stories, which contain lessons the writers wish they had learned when they were younger. After completing the stories, Inkpot brought their work to the Lower School to create the complementary illustrations, providing the Lower Schoolers with both creative freedom and loose guidelines to help channel and focus their work. “The Upper School students in the Inkpot Club wrote these stories with elementary-aged students in mind,” Lauryn says, “and the student illustrations really bring the stories to life.” Creative sparks, though, were not the only things forged in this collaborative project. Lower and Upper School students found long-lasting bonds among their peers. The project, Lauryn explains, gives students the chance to interact and work with fellow students they don’t typically see on a day-to-day basis. Bright and captivating connections were discovered. “To find that you can connect with different grade levels is really quite amazing,” Lauryn says. “Honestly, this collaboration does a lot for both groups. I think that, for Upper School students, this gives us the opportunity to be in a mentorship role, and, for the Lower School students, the project gives them yet another role model within the School. These are truly meaningful connections.” The Inkpot Club intends to be publish and distribute The Collegiate Book of Stories, which is a final piece of the project that demonstrates to students the work involved in the process of print publication. Students brainstormed as a group to create a page-by-page layout for the book, worked to meet deadlines and, of course, connected with the 4th Grade illustrators. In more ways than one, the students discovered how to bring creative work to life, realizing the possible avenues of where to take their art. “Oftentimes, the challenges people have with doing a creative task are that they don’t have any guidance,” Lauryn says. “This process gives everyone the structure they need to write and draw, and, at the end of it, you’re able to say you’ve had your work published at a young age, which is very valuable.”

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