The Upper School Community Time program is a four-year commitment to providing students with the experiences and tools for becoming responsible young adults capable of thinking critically, acting honorably, and leading and serving others. At MICDS, through the Community Time program, we intentionally help our students grow in four areas: academics, character and leadership, equity and inclusion, and wellness and relationships. Many of these learning opportunities happen through our Advisory program with faculty they know and connect with regularly.
Community Time offers the opportunity to develop social and emotional learning skills. Time spent in advisory, as a class, and as an Upper School community includes activities, discussions and guest speakers that encourage students to grow in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making and relationship skills.
Although our Upper School students and teachers are apart right now due to our pandemic guidelines, we are still finding ways to keep them connected through Community Time. We kicked off the year with a variety of activities.
Our newest Upper School community members, 9th graders in the Class of 2024, worked on a Character Strengths activity with their advisory. The goal is to help students identify their strengths with the challenge to use those assets to help create a culture of respect, kindness, and collaboration. Eventually, each 9th grade student will meet with their advisor to discuss their strengths and how to use them to benefit themselves and their community.
Tenth and 12th graders completed a fun group activity. Each advisory worked together to solve a variety of rebus puzzles. Rebus puzzles are word representations of phrases (see below for some examples…answers are at the end of this article). Advisors led the activity, and then students were divided into groups to create their own rebus puzzles.
Our 11th grade students enjoyed a panel discussion as part of their History of St. Louis class. Stay tuned for a story about the recent speakers from Humans of St. Louis!
Our Upper Schoolers are off to a great start building their community and connecting with each other and their advisors!
(Answers to the Rebus puzzles: address, horseback riding, get up and go, neon lights, ring around the rosey, forfeit, for instance, big fish in a little pond, scrambled eggs.)