The Field School

Maroon rubber balls sail across the gymnasium, bounding and bouncing every which way. Students cavort, spin, jump and throw themselves about the space as the organized chaos of a dodgeball game surges around them. Elsewhere on campus, flour and sugar are mixed and stirred, while buttercream frosting is dolloped across a tray of steaming freshly-baked cupcakes. Seemingly unrelated, these two scenes are moments from this week’s session of Field’s Middle School Mentor Program.

“Having a buddy is like having an honorary sibling," says 11th grader Ioanna Mattke. “It’s great to get to know the younger students and to help guide them along.”

The Mentor program began more than a decade ago at Field’s Wyoming Avenue campus. In what has since been described as an “organic” beginning, several upper-school girls took it upon themselves to form several self-described “Girly Groups,” after seeing a handful of younger students having a difficult time settling into their Middle School experience. Now, years later, under the leadership of Middle School Head Susan Greenspan, the program has blossomed into a year-long series of events and activities that gives 11th and 12th grade students, both female and male, the chance to be formal mentors for a large number of middle schoolers.

Students interested in becoming mentors for the upcoming school year attend an informal gathering in May where current mentors explain the workings of the program, expectations of their commitment to it, and answer questions. Interviews follow for those who choose to apply, and special leadership opportunities are available within the program for those students eager to take on an even more prominent role.

Based on the information gathered during the application process, students are paired up by interest areas, family backgrounds, and neighborhoods. “An upper school student with divorced parents may want to help a younger student in the same situation,” explains Susan Greenspan. “Or, if two people live in the same neighborhood, they can ride the shuttle together.” Mentors and mentees meet monthly for a group activity and again monthly in a one-on-one setting during lunch or SHAM.

The growth of the Middle School Mentor Program and its esteem in the eyes of our students may be best of all. It is an honor for high school kids to participate because they understand that they are being asked to pass on not only their wisdom but also the culture of Field. To understand how the younger students see it, you only need to hear them talk excitedly about their older "buddies." From help with homework and support at athletic events to the development of genuine friendships between mentors and mentees, this program has become an element of day-to-day life at our school.

One of those days, in fact, is graduation. Last year, not only were there several 8th graders in attendance, but as they watched their mentors graduate, there were some well-earned tears.

Field Community Is Energized by Day Dedicated to Multiculturalism

Last Friday was Founder's Day at The Field School, just one day after the birthday of Field's visionary founder, Elizabeth Ely. In honor of this important day, we chose to celebrate another landmark: Field's first Diversity Day.
 
Students took a day off from regular classes to think deeply about and to celebrate each other’s differences within a single, unified school community. The theme of the day was "SPARK." because day’s purpose was to ignite dialogue about multiculturalism and tolerance. On our founder's birthday, we had the perfect opportunity to honor one of the school’s core values: celebrating the individual.

“When Elizabeth Ely started The Field School, it wasn’t about fitting the mold, it was about breaking the mold,” said Head of School Dale Johnson as he kicked off the day in an all-school assembly. “Diversity is about the way you don't fit the mold."

The keynote speaker for the assembly was Mark Elliot, an inspirational young man with a pointed, and often hilarious, message on tolerance. Mark was born with a rare disease that left him with virtually no intestines, and as a young boy he developed Tourette Syndrome. After describing the challenges he faced growing up, he emphasized the need to be kinder toward each other. “Tolerance is important,” he explained. Tolerance means trying to understand that you don't know everything about others you meet in life—their struggles or problems. "We owe each other the tolerance represented by the phrase 'to live and let live'."
 
Mark's life demonstrated this virtue, as he told touching and funny stories about the ways in which his differences could spark anger or upset among strangers. But he also told us about the kindness of those who did not judge him because of his Tourette tics or his gastro-intestinal problems.

Mark’s talk immediately sparked conversation about differences. “Mark touched my heart,” said student Murjoni Merriweather. "After hearing his story, I understood that you can’t judge people on looks.”

After the keynote, students spent the day in smaller group sessions. The student diversity leadership team, guided by  faculty members Anne Foley, Desmond Beach, Maritza Solano, and Susan Greenspan, spent months designing the activities. “Our intent was to spark dialogue about multiculturalism and diversity. We wanted to highlight and share our cultural stories and experiences,” said Desmond.

"The student advisors impressed us with their dedication to and enthusiasm for having this day happen in their community," added Maritza Solano. “They worked effortlessly to guide the day.”

Each group was led by student and faculty facilitators and met in assigned locations. The first meeting educated students on community norms and allowed students to share thoughts about Mark Elliot’s presentation. It also served to introduce the concept of eight core cultural identifiers: age, race, socioeconomic status, ability, sexual orientation, gender and religion.

In the second session, students and faculty had a chance to share their core identifiers. This session also allowed participants to gather into even smaller groups to share their struggles and their strengths as they discussed their identities. Students left the sessions feeling a stronger connection with each other. “I liked how these meetings exposed us to different cultures and to different people,” said student Madeline Kirkpatrick. “I didn’t really know much about my friends until Diversity Day.”

The day concluded as students and faculty gathered in the gym to hear from DC Youth Slam Poetry Team members Hadaiyah “YA-YA” Bey and Jonathan Tucker. Their rhyme and balladry touched on topics explored during group discussions and added a fine highlight to an already amazing day. Appropriately, a birthday cake for Elizabeth Ely met students as they left the all-school assembly.

In the end, Diversity Day was more than a spark. Students and faculty came to understand each other and the importance of multiculturalism in ways that will last for years.

Self-Discovery.  It's the first word in our mission statement, and its pursuit is innate to everyday life at Field.  Students are encouraged to think and learn about themselves, and to grow as individuals over the course of their time here.  They can be studious, athletic, shy, boisterous, latino, focused, whimsical, black, white or anytihng else they want—so long as they are who they truly are.

Field is a place where you can be yourself.

We asked some our teachers one simple question:  "why are you a teacher?"  The answers we got were remarkable, candid, funny, personal, insightful and inspiring.