Back-to-School Pictures
ABOUT A 3 MINUTE READ –
August’s end and September’s beginning are the times when our social media feeds are filled with photos of our friends’ fresh-faced kids standing in smart new outfits, perched on their porch, in the driveway, or in front of a big yellow bus. Some hold up signs or fingers matching their upcoming grade, while others clutch colorful new lunch boxes announcing their interest du jour. Most are grinning from ear to ear in anticipation of old friends, new teachers, and the promise of learning adventures.
As a teacher myself, raised in a family of educators, I’ve continued this tradition well into adulthood. My mom still awaits that back-to-school photo text from me, though the lunchbox has been replaced with a mug of strong coffee in one hand and often a class pet in the other. My cheesy smile is a giveaway of my excitement for the morning bell and a classroom of eager learners. And, boy, was I in trouble with Mom my first September at Leelanau when I didn’t send a picture! By no means was this mistake due to a lack of excitement about my new school, but was rather entirely due to being at a loss of when to capture this moment at Leelanau. You see…
Unlike traditional schools whose first days start and end with a chiming bell, at Leelanau we gently welcome each other, families, and students to embrace a number of firsts.
In the week before students arrive, I have the pleasure of introducing our Leelanau faculty to our new enrollees. Our Provost, Becca Dymond, fills in details about returning students, their summer activities, and their hopes for the year ahead. We explain learning styles, important history, and fun facts to help foster healthy relationships from day one. We develop a picture of what each student needs and expects before they set foot on campus.
After a week of adult learning and preparation comes the day when seniors arrive! The intentional early arrival of seniors marks their capstone year, bookended by trips to the Manitou Islands. Seniors are welcomed back, settle into campus, and the mirth heard around the campfire that first night is soul filling. And when they shuffle off to South Manitou the next day to set their intentions as student leaders, the underclassmen are warmly welcomed by eager teachers and dorm parents.
Similarly to our seniors, the underclassmen settle into their spaces, share a first meal with their FAU (Family Advisory Unit), hike the campus with older students guiding the way, and pack up to leave for Exploratory the following morning.
Why Exploratory? Exploratory is Leelanau’s answer to easing the normal anxieties that come along with newness. Venturing off campus and participating in initiatives helps students transition socially, learn about our community’s core values, and discover meaningful peer connections. By the end of these three days, students are more connected and know more about each other than they would after three weeks of classes! As our Dean of Students, Michael Jarvis, shares:
“When new students come in, they are usually a mixture of hopeful and scared. There is a search for belonging…We start the year with Exploratory experiences, which are usually camping trips and those are all about making connections and creating a sense of belonging. They come out of this knowing each other outside the classroom. All of this means that once they get into the classroom and the Learning Center, there is more of a sense of seeing students as individuals. They understand that at Leelanau school is not about judging them – it’s about finding what works for them.”
When seniors and underclassmen arrive back to campus on Saturday, the first weekend is filled with fun dorm challenges, exploring campus and the greater community, and organizing our backpacks for our first day of classes. As we gather at breakfast that Monday morning and laugh at Mr. Hansen’s silly jokes that kick off our day, we already know each other. In fact, we “shout out” to all of the good we’ve noticed during our first week together. Yes, there’s a certain newness as students cross the bridge to their classes in the academic building that first time, but each first up to that moment moves us a step closer to what Leelanau truly is – a joyful learning community.
So, rather than a single first-day-of-school picture my mother now gets a whole album filled with first hikes, first sunsets, first canoe paddles, first family gatherings, and more! Being part of a school community that is intentional with every first means that every moment is one to be captured, celebrated, and then shared with the woman who helped me become a passionate educator in the first place.
KATE CALIRI-SPIEGEL is the Dean of Admission at The Leelanau School. As an educator for 20 years prior, she knows the powerful role a small independent school can play in helping learners and families thrive and has witnessed the positive transformation of independent education. In her role at Leelanau, Kate tries to help families put words to their experiences and offer them a path forward, whether at Leelanau or elsewhere. Kate enjoys spending time outdoors–kayaking, camping, skiing, hiking, biking–with her partner, Stephen, and loves to introduce kids to her pet rats.