News from Westchester Manhattan
Building a
Windward Community in By Jeremy Bletterman Activities Coordinator, Windward Manhattan
O
n September 8th, Windward Manhattan opened its doors for the first time, and I was reminded of a childhood experience of my own. When I was a kid, my father’s career led our family to relocate often. The most difficult transition for me took place during seventh grade, when we moved from New Jersey to the San Francisco Bay Area over winter break. Arriving at a new school mid-year as the only new student was terrifying. As The Windward School welcomed our students to their new school in Manhattan last September, it resonated with me that we weren’t expecting one new student … we were expecting 107! As school began, I was curious to see how social dynamics would develop. Over the days that followed, this group of newcomers proved so willing to include rather than exclude, accept rather than reject, aspire rather than coast. In mere weeks, 107 individuals coalesced into a tightly knit community of peers, who conduct themselves as though they have been part of our school for years. Manhattan boasts the ideal environment within which to offer a broad range of clubs and activities that afford our students opportunities to become further ingrained in their school community – and the children are taking advantage of it. Each day, recess clubs meet under the supervision of faculty members who augment students’ highly structured instructional time with mindful, creative pursuits. On Mondays, Student Council convenes to discuss community service projects. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, lower and middle school chorus groups learn to sing in beautiful harmony. Wednesdays are reserved for Yoga Club, where students are inspired to remain centered throughout the day, and Fridays are saved for Scrapbook Club, where students compile photographs and other memorabilia in order to document the evolution of our Manhattan campus. Each week, roughly half of our student population participates in these clubs. Traditional after-school activities have played an equally vital role in the cultivation of our cohesive school community. This fall, students filled more than 90 openings across nine afterschool programs. From Monday’s Chess Club to Friday’s tennis program on Randall’s Island, each week is replete with opportunities for students to grow socially and emotionally as they learn not only the skills they need to excel at their hobbies but also those skills essential to becoming strong self-advocates, making friends, and positively affecting social situations. Field trips have also helped fortify the spirit of inclusiveness and camaraderie that has come to define Windward Manhattan. Academic field trips complement our lower and middle school curricula and offer students firsthand experiences of what they learn in the classroom. In September, lower school students visited The Bronx Zoo and reconnected with their peers from Windward Westchester Lower School. In October, seventh graders witnessed a colonial reenactment near the Battle of Pell’s Point, and sixth graders toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Egypt collection. In addition to academic field trips, middle school students have also taken advantage of several social outings designed to provide unique cultural experiences and foster interpersonal relationships. Overall, it has been an outstanding start to the school year, and the students provided the spark. Windward Manhattan is up and running, and the future looks bright. n
Windward Manhattan is up and running...
46 The Compass Fall /Winter 2015