Continuing a Community-wide Sense of Belonging

community & belonging

Continuing a Community-wide Sense of Belonging

By Louisa Wells, Associate Director of Communications

One of the first things people comment on when encountering Allen-Stevenson is the community. Woven into the fabric of who we are as a school, cultivating a strong sense of community among our students, faculty and staff, parents, and alumni has always been top-of-mind. One tradition that has continued to uphold this sense of shared space and belonging is community gatherings and assemblies: Monday Morning Meeting (MMM) in the Middle and Upper Schools and Lower School Community Time (LSCT). In the midst of the pandemic, a group of faculty and staff members have taken it upon themselves to continue the tradition virtually.

These times together include announcements and goings-on around the School. In Monday Morning Meeting, student participation is encouraged with instrumental performances and speeches, while in the Lower School the interactive format allows for boys to participate through song and dance actively.

Members of the A-S Community

Productions Team (a group of faculty and staff members from the divisions, and Music, Art, Theatre,

Athletics and Communications departments) meet to strategize fun and exciting ways to draw students in despite being virtual and continue a sense of community. “The goal of community time is to build community through equity and inclusion,” says Ian Taggart, Lower School Music Teacher. “It’s a necessity. It’s an opportunity to come together and celebrate and learn from each other while having a good time. My hope is that students, teachers and faculty see themselves reflected. That is what makes it meaningful for me to be a part of it.” Recent Monday Morning Meeting topics have covered Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage month while also continuing with traditions such as Gilbert and Sullivan and the GeoBowl. Lower School Community Time engages students by incorporating fun activities like get-up-and-move dance breaks or “Guess That Baby,” where students have to guess the faculty or

staff member from photos. These community times also educate students about topics such as women activists throughout history, various holidays celebrated around the world like Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Ramadan, and teaching the importance of kindness and being allies in our community. During both weekly gatherings, the tradition of ending with the school song remains, ensuring that anyone from the community can feel the spirit of AllenStevenson from wherever they are watching.