Students Spearhead Community Day at the Upper School

Upper School students celebrated a different kind of love on Valentine’s Day this year, they marked the day by strengthening their community. Aptly named Community Day, the students kicked off the day with an opening speech by Jason Talbot, co-founder of Artists for Humanity, then launched into an art workshop creating squares for a shared mural based on the work of local artist Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs. The crux of the day came when students and faculty members broke out into conversations with affinity groups and interest groups to tackle one of the objectives for the day: did you feel seen and heard?

The day was a rousing success, students cited all parts of their day as their favorite activity. One student spoke about the impact of the keynote speaker, saying, “Jason’s speech at the beginning was definitely the highlight. Not only did I learn more about his passion for art, but also the ways in which art has impacted/shaped multiple communities.” Another peer echoed one of the goals of the day, noting, “my favorite part of the day was [the] first conversation I had about athletics and academics because it was a great time to be surrounded by people like me, so I felt comfortable and my voice was truly heard.” 

The idea for this event came from a student over the summer and transformed into a reality through the tireless efforts of faculty and students. The morning focused on coming together and discussing their individual and group identities which transitioned into team-building games and assembling the community mural in the afternoon. To wrap up the day, the Parents’ Association surprised students with cupcakes to celebrate the holiday and the BB&N community.

Click here for a gallery from the day, and here for a special video.