Community | Connected

Let's paint a picture together:

The quad in front of Lindenwold greets you as you make purchase on the campus’ front steps. The stones smile from above and their shadow blankets the Eckert-Huff courtyard, dusted with leaves. The trees, bursting with rich red and orange hues, creak and sing. And through their song another type of music is heard: laughter.

Our students play, running in troupes and teams, collaborating and using their imaginations to create fantastic worlds, and learning about each other, and themselves—because to them (and to us) Peck is home.

The royal “they” says “home is where the heart is,” and at Peck, that heart is our community. Always beating, always there, the sense of belonging is an integral part of The Peck School, through different organizations and clubs, and within our classrooms.

We talk a lot about how community is important. When making decisions on where our children go to school, the first thing we are thinking of is who they are going to be interacting with dayto-day; however, in order to grasp a sense of what belonging means, we should first learn about what belonging DOES—and why it is so important.

Cultivating a sense of belonging from an early age, and continuing to foster that sense of inclusion throughout one’s life, is incredibly valuable, but it takes practice.

The shared experiences we have at Peck connect us, and create a home where students are free to express themselves and grow.

Family units, cultural groups, neighborhoods, and friends influence a child’s relationship formation, interdependence with others, and the formation of their individual identities. The people around us are responsible for helping us become our truest selves.

Research has shown that a sense of belonging can also help safeguard children from mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety, as well as boost their overall learning ability and knowledge retention.

“When we feel connected to others, we learn how to employ coping mechanisms, which happens often through interpersonal communication. That can be with family, friends, or parents,” says Ashley Tabor, Lower School psychologist.

“When children are confronted with anxiety-provoking situations or obstacles, as educators and members of our community, it is our responsibility to connect with them and make them feel seen in the moment. It enables kids to have branches of support in many contexts, allowing them to develop the abilities needed to cope with challenges and equipping them with the tools they will need as adults when confronted with more complicated stressors.”

Additionally, children who are part of a community tend to play and collaborate with their peers to attain common goals, so they end up being more motivated and more successful learners overall.

“I think as parents, we always want to protect our kids from the discomfort that comes naturally with growing up,” notes Tabor.

“We have to remember that discomfort is what creates growth, and it’s how we cope as individuals and as a community that leads to more healthy, more resilient, more adaptable, and more inquisitive individuals.”

By fostering a sense of community and belonging, and creating that safe space, Peck becomes a place to evolve and grow through the inevitable hiccups and mistakes that one makes along the way.

“Our students know that there is a support network to catch them when they naturally fall,” says Tabor.

We always prioritize our students and foster that safe environment where they are freely able to express themselves, and for many, that journey begins in kindergarten.

Programs such as eighth-grade helpers and kindergarten buddies allow our youngest Peck family members to interact with our older students. Mealtimes are spent with our friends, teachers, and parent lunch proctors in our family dining program. These cross-divisional and cross-grade programs exist to create relationships between our older and younger students.

“I think from the older students’ perspectives, it solidifies skills in empathy and grounds them,” says Tabor. “They are role models, and there’s a general pride they feel to be part of the community and to positively impact the next generation.”

Our Upper School students also climb to new heights within our micro-communities, such as the Outdoor Adventure Club and FLL Robotics teams, putting their determination and initiative to the test in order to achieve and create memories that will last a lifetime.

“We are constantly working to help our students understand their role within a variety of social circles, so they may better understand the perspectives of the people around them. It creates a deeper connection through genuine empathy.”

Overall, the shared experiences we have at Peck connect us and create a home where students are free to express themselves and grow.