6 minute read
Newcomers Welcome
WELCOMENewcomers
How Collegiate Upper School students are engaging Wichita newcomers - reframing the conversation around refugees - through the Newcomer Club, and the program to further empower Spartans to serve their community
When one walks down the halls of the Upper School, they see classrooms buzzing with tense curiosity about math, science, language, and the arts. But part of what makes Collegiate special is the complete experience. An opportunity to shine academically, athletically, and in the fine arts. And perhaps more importantly, an opportunity to see the world through the eyes, hearts, and minds of our neighbors-- an experience connected to our Institute for Social Impact, which is launching this fall.
But imagine for now that it is 2017. Caitlin Mattar is a freshman at Wichita Collegiate School. Like many, she is looking for a place to be engaged. She knows she wants to be of service to her community, but what she doesn’t know just yet is that this expectation of service could be equally impactful to her. A conversation with a caring mentor, JoyAnn Brake, WCS Community Service Coordinator, altered the trajectory of Mattar’s Collegiate experience. The path she followed directly influenced her ideas about the world around us. The IRC, or International Rescue Committee, had presented an opportunity for partnering with Collegiate and, for Mattar, this was just the beginning. “We reached out, and we started with Newcomer Field Day,” Mattar, now a Senior at WCS, said. “We got together and newcomers – which is [the correct] way of saying refugees – got together and we had fun, played basketball, went on scooters, and enjoyed activities.”
The beginnings of a student program
The process was simple – newcomers were invited to the WCS campus for snacks and activities and paired with Collegiate students who could help make the transition to life in Wichita easier. These students could provide a consistent and caring face, offer empathy, see commonalities, and celebrate differences.
The first year was so successful that it led Mattar to create a student club for the Upper School devoted specifically to forming relationships with IRC students – the Newcomer Club – during her sophomore year. The partnership between Collegiate and IRC has allowed for many newcomer students to form friendships with Spartans. “We help them with their high school knowledge,” Mattar said.
The Newcomer Club also provides tutoring experiences for students who simply need a peer with a heart for service, and the passion for academics, to thrive. “Our high school students work with them,” Mattar said. “I’m really thankful for our high school students being able to help.”
Increased commitments lead to student growth in shared empathy
Getting this program off the ground was no small commitment. In 2017-2018, Mattar and fellow Newcomer Club students spent more than two hours a week getting field days up and running. The following year, Mattar invested more than five hours a week as tutoring became a need our students detected and responded to. The Newcomer Club now has a board that meets regularly to discuss the program. “I care because, when I saw the Newcomer students for the first time with our Collegiate students, my heart was really happy,” Mattar said. “Our Collegiate students stay in contact with the newcomers. Seeing us make an impact even in the smallest way – it makes me really happy.” By the Spring of 2020, the Newcomer Club had multiple students spending more than eight hours a week tutoring and building relationships with newcomers in East Wichita. Our students were eager to make a difference through shared experiences. It was clear that this partnership was
just as important to developing Collegiate students’ character, empathy, and communication skills, as it was to helping newcomers adapt to their new way of life.
“I believe it is totally worth it,” Mattar said. “It takes a lot of communication, and I’ve learned that a lot in Newcomer Club.”
This impact was felt even during the COVID-19 pandemic. “After Wichita Public Schools physically closed, they distributed learning packets to Newcomer students. It was obvious that the majority of our students didn’t have the support to do their assignments because of their language barriers and digital divide,” Nayu Wilson, Program Coordinator for the International Rescue Committee, said. “Once IRC Wichita decided to resume an after school program as a virtual tutoring program, Collegiate students were ready to join and help these students.”
This ability to adapt and react to change is exactly what the Institute for Social Impact at Wichita Collegiate is striving for with each of our Spartans.
What is next for the Newcomer Club and Mattar
To make sure the club continues after this year, Mattar and the board of the Newcomer Club have selected freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to mentor. For Mattar, the Newcomer Club has been a staple of her Collegiate experience. It has also sparked an unexpected passion as she enters her senior year and begins to consider what life looks like after commencement.
“I practically have had this my whole high school career. It has made me a better person – it has made me extremely grateful for what I have and made me understand how much I can do. It’s great for the future. Without it, I would not have grown as much,” Mattar said. “I started this program and my mindset changed completely – social work, helping. Right now, I’m planning on doing something like that so that I can [work with others] directly.” Mattar wants to be an active advocate for change for Newcomers. If her passion, poise, and active participation are any indicators, she is certainly proving herself prepared to do that heavy lifting because she is listening to the needs of the community.
Planning an Institute for Social Impact
The Newcomer Club is an example of one particular way that Wichita Collegiate students are engaged in making a difference in social programming. JoyAnn Brake, who helps facilitate the Newcomer Club, is also the Director of the Institute for Social Impact, which will connect classroom experiences with community businesses, nonprofits, and organizations to engage students beyond our classrooms and develop the complete child. “We have the opportunity to impact needs in our community. Through carefully designed real-world projects and experiences, it will allow for more depth in the Collegiate experience,” Brake said. “This is more than just about our kids.” The Institute for Social Impact is focusing on projects that achieve outcomes in five unique areas: empathy, advocacy, real-world experiences, creative problem solving, and exploring purpose. This requires an understanding of the issues in our community, our state, and our world. It also requires an understanding that a desire to help must be accompanied by a desire to listen and react to the unique needs of a community. For Newcomers, this need was expressed through the IRC to be a social and academic need. Our students responded well, and for the Institute for Social Impact, Mattar’s story provides a scenario that highlights the importance of empathy for each Collegiate student – something explored at school and modeled within the home by positive parents. “More than just academics and accolades, Collegiate strives to develop great people and citizens of the world. Parents want this as well. We partner with parents in character development, a commitment to community, and a worldview that offers perspective beyond our limited experiences,” Brake said. “Through the Institute for Social Impact, we aim to offer experiences that help connect curriculum deeper through achieved empathy, advocacy, real-world experiences, creative problem solving and exploring purpose.” It is clear that Caitlin Mattar, who began her Upper School journey in 2017, has modeled just that over a few short years. True growth and empathy, but also empowerment of Newcomers to thrive. That’s something each Spartan can strive to model. The Institute for Social Impact is part of the strategic plan for WCS and will be featured in the next edition of the Connection Magazine.
