Sana Raza, an eighth-grade student in our MICDS Newsroom class, reached out to me at the end of last week as she prepared an article about the origins and current implementation of Winter Term. Her questions were thoughtful ones, and especially as we wrap up this year’s Winter Term program today, I thought I should share not only my responses to Sana but additional musings on the future of Winter Term as well.
What was the inspiration behind Winter Term?
The first major decision that I made as Head of School, in the fall of 2019, was to transition MICDS from a trimester (three-term) calendar to a semester (two-term) calendar. I was persuaded that the rhythm of the trimester calendar inadvertently created occasional periods of intense workload and stress for students and teachers that a semester schedule could alleviate. In reviewing the impacts of this change, given the start and end dates of a typical MICDS academic year, I realized that the resulting spring semester would be approximately two weeks longer than the fall semester. I took this as an opportunity to explore with other administrators the creation of a two-week January term that could offer students immersive, non-traditional learning experiences. Especially with the onset and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the actual establishment of this program, which we decided to name Winter Term, did not occur until the 2023-2024 school year.
How do you think Winter Term has affected students and teachers?
The feedback that I receive from students about Winter Term is overwhelmingly positive. The benefits that students cite most frequently are opportunities to connect with peers outside of their usual classes, a reduction in school-related stress, and participation in memorable “deep dive” learning experiences. For older students, internship and travel opportunities are highly valued if not transformational. As for teachers, Winter Term admittedly requires a great deal of preparation and planning throughout the fall, but most of the feedback I receive from faculty is also positive. They, too, love the opportunity to work with different groups of students, to immerse themselves in non-traditional course offerings, and to step away from the stresses of traditional course instruction.
What went into the process of making Winter Term? Who else helped?
Winter Term flourishes because everyone helps—teachers, staff, and administrators alike. Far more people than I have space to name here individually are responsible for its success. The program certainly could not thrive as it does, though, without the guiding efforts of our three division heads, Ms. Scheer, Ms. Schuckman, and Mr. Small. Dr. Maxwell, who has a deep background in programs like Winter Term at other schools, has also been indispensable to the success of Winter Term in its first three years. I would be remiss not to thank Mr. Brian Thomas as well, who, as MICDS Assistant Head of School through the 2020-2021 school year, was a helpful thinking partner when Winter Term was still just an idea. (Mr. Thomas is currently serving as Interim Head of School at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School in Creve Coeur.)
What is your favorite part of Winter Term?
I love talking to students about their experiences. The variety of what they learn and enjoy always amazes me, as does the palpable energy and excitement across campus throughout these two unique weeks of the year.
As for my thoughts about future iterations and opportunities for improvement of Winter Term, I am making a point to share them in my scheduled conversations with Ms. Wabrek as she prepares to succeed me as Head of School. While I do not question whatsoever the value to our students of complementing their traditional academic semesters—the fall and spring terms that compose the great majority of their MICDS education—with an interim period of immersive learning, I recognize the essential importance of ensuring a worthwhile experience for everyone. Among my questions as we look forward, therefore, is whether we can provide program offerings sufficient to guarantee every student placement in one of their top two or three choices. Logistical hurdles may prove significant if not insurmountable, but at a minimum we should continue to pursue this goal.
We should also continue to consider the optimal duration of Winter Term in each division. We already run an abbreviated program in the Lower School in recognition of the different developmental needs of younger children and in service to other educational priorities after the holiday break. How best and for how long to structure Winter Term in the Middle School, and perhaps in the Upper School as well, are questions worthy of our continuing consideration, especially now with the benefit of three years under our belt.
Finally, as is true of everything we do at MICDS, we should examine at what level and through what source or mechanism we should fund Winter Term, optimally without placing additional burdens on family contributions to tuition. Are there signature community-forming, educational, and potentially transformational life experiences such as large-group or class travel, for example, that would be well worth the high expense they might entail and that Winter Term is well suited to accommodate? Are there other opportunities for our students that we could realize during Winter Term provided that we could ensure their funding? These, too, are questions that I will both communicate to Ms. Wabrek as my successor and continue to explore with other administrators through the conclusion of my tenure here. They are exciting to contemplate.
As we have in the past, MICDS will administer a parent survey after Winter Term seeking perspectives and suggestions. I urge those of you who receive the survey to complete it. I am committed to maximizing the benefits to our students from this distinctive program in our region, and I know that Ms. Wabrek will be too in the years to come.
Always reason, always compassion, always courage. How fitting it feels to write these words as our nation prepares to commemorate and celebrate a man whose life embodied them. My best wishes to you and your families this weekend and on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Jay Rainey
Head of School
This week’s addition to the “Refrains for Rams” playlist is A Long December by Counting Crows (Apple Music / Spotify).