When I took on organizing the Sophomore Community program for the fall, I initially struggled with its shape and structure.  Through conversation with Stacie, Sarah, and the rest of the Student Life Team, the purpose of the program was clear.  We wanted to build on the community building and social emotional learning pieces that Frosh Advisory began nurturing last year.  With this in mind, I have tried to capitalize on what the year brings in order to build community and engage with school traditions.  






The October Soph Community date happened to fall the week before *St. Marty’s party.  Decorating for St. Marty’s Party is a wonderful way for the Sophomore class to bond, give community service, and participate in a school tradition.  Maggie let me know that the Sophomores traditionally decorate classroom doors for the trick or treating section of the party.  These decorated doors are for the time when the children, dressed in costumes that they choose, trick or treat through our academic building. It’s an important part of making this event festive and welcoming for these children.  Since the theme this year is Pixar, she wanted the doors to be themed using the films. 

With the help of the wonderful Sophomore Council and their moderator, Andrew Kjera, doors and themes were assigned to the eight Soph Community groups.  Last Thursday, during the afternoon X, students were assigned doors, themes, and working groups.  They were told that they had 30 minutes to design, decorate, and put up these doors.  The Community group with the most successful doors would earn a pizza party for November’s Community meeting.  Maggie and I also decided that a bag of candy would be awarded to the Community group that produced the best decorated single door. 

Students worked diligently.  Ideas abounded.  Mistakes were made, set aside and work began again.  Students helped groups not in their Soph Community group.  Other students shared resources with those around them.  Additional materials were requested, found, and utilized.  The controlled chaos was electric.  Watching the Sophomores, I was surprised to see how quickly and efficiently most students were working.  They were focused and having fun.  Andrew pointed out to me that these students all took Think, Make, Share last year and had worked on these kinds of design challenges.  They had experience tackling a problem with limited resources and time.  Watching the students work, I saw how their shared experience was helping them with this challenge.  This was an unintended and welcome consequence of this Community session!

I’m now planning November’s Sophomore Community session in conjunction with Sophomore Council.  I’m eager to continue to build this program.  What else can we do to come together as a community and build on the common skills we are working on as a school?  It’s an interesting problem.