Our Division Heads share their most memorable moments from the fall semester.

今年8月，奥巴马博士说. Dacher Keltner of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center spoke to our professional community and urged us all to establish (or maintain!正念和感恩的练习. He 共享策略 for welcoming gratitude and awe into the classroom, 整个学期, through academic growing pains and the ongoing pandemic, 我们又回到了这种接地练习. 

In the spirit of feeling grateful––especially as we prepare to sit down with our families for Thanksgiving––we asked our Division Heads Ricky Lapidus, 丹尼史古德利, 还有莉娅·凡·内斯 三件好事从这学期开始. 

“三件好事”很简单, effective gratitude exercise you can try at home with the whole family. Each person considers and lists three things that make them feel grateful. You might name a small moment you’re grateful for––like a delicious carrot cupcake (purchased from the 上学校 bake sale!)––or a milestone, such as an exciting promotion or your child passing the driver’s test. 有些人喜欢在睡前写日记, others prefer to share their 三件好事” over dinner or on a walk.

Looking back at the best parts of your week or semester is a fine way to remind yourself of all we have to celebrate and cherish. 以下是我们的部门主管分享的内容: 

瑞奇·拉皮德斯，高中校长  

• I’ve been thinking about the kids sitting in their classroom laughing at Mr. Scott ham it up as they talk about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. They quickly transitioned from goofiness to an intellectual exploration of what fetters encompass all of us. It was a nice reminder that serious academic pursuits do not need to stay separate from joy. 学习是有趣的.

• 高三那天的生日派对也很棒. These seniors have spent the majority of high school in a state of constant adjusting--first to distance learning, 然后是面具, 和疫苗. I’m grateful they could simply be together (and maybe even more grateful that they cleaned up after themselves and didn’t leave it for the adults to deal with…!)

• One bright spot has been watching kids from the Community Engagement Board, 我们的CCE领导团队, as they figure out ways to make a difference in Oakland, 不仅仅是在海德罗伊斯. I get to witness the joy that getting outside of one’s own head space and one’s own concerns can bring. 在他们的 志愿者项目, 学生们正在清扫海滩, 配送新鲜农产品, 并帮助解决全球水危机. They’re smart, motivated, caring––and already making a difference in the wider world. 

丹尼·斯库德利，中学校长   

• In Advising, 7th graders started the year with a trophy 挑战. Each Advising group worked together to create a trophy out of recycled materials. The 挑战 culminated in a contest that I helped judge but that, 更重要的是, was filled with the benign fervor that only a fun, 社区建设活动可以创造. 看到学生们一起工作真是太棒了, make connections with each other as an Advising group, and come together as a whole class for the final contest. I may or may not have accepted a cupcake along the way, but only after eating it did I let the students know that I don’t take bribes. 不过我也吃纸杯蛋糕! 获奖奖杯(来自. 由此集团, 或者他们是这么称呼自己的, Pagel’s Bagels) has been circulating throughout Advising groups.

• Studio Art students recently completed self-portraits in pencil, 那天他们走到走廊上, every middle school student paused to admire their peers’ work. 从那时起, 这种钦佩一直在继续, and it has been purely wonderful to see students silently and vocally praise their peers’ sometimes hidden artistic talents. And, some of those drawings I swear are photographs!

• 在奥. 科廷的数学课, 8th graders studied quadratic and kinematic equations for projectiles in motion, and then built their own mini catapults from popsicle sticks. 除了在纸上学习数学, they were able to work together to build something concrete, 最重要的是, they got to launch mini-marshmallows to test the viability of their designs. It was a series of math classes that also incorporated much more, 包括笑声, 挑战, 以及概念在现实世界中的应用. 

李·凡·内斯，低年级校长 

• Our 2nd graders headed back to Sausal Creek for actual field trips! 我过去认为实地考察是理所当然的，但现在, after watching those excited 2nd graders talk about everything they saw out on the creek is a reminder of how important it is to connect students with Oakland, 和自然世界.

• 我们的低年级辅导员. Rosemary Durousseau had the fabulous idea to 挑战 our students to a “Boast Rattle,” ie. boasting about your friend, instead of roasting them (“Roast Battle”). 赞美之战使我们都笑了! 为什么接受赞美就这么难..? It’s certainly a little easier in the 较低的学校 these days.   

• Speaking of smiles, the 5th grade drama classes gave me a lot of joy this semester. Andie Patterson showed her students the masters like Charlie Chaplin to teach what it means to exaggerate and use movement to describe actions and emotions without words. 在小组中, students created and rehearsed silent scenes and performed them for the rest of the 较低的学校. 欢喜了! 你不想错过这个:看五年级 这里的小丑表演.