Do you remember what you did yesterday? Stop and take a moment to think about it.
While I certainly hope you remember something, I suspect your day was not nearly as interesting as the days our Middle School students had yesterday and are having throughout this week, as part of our annual Reach Beyond Week. What types of things are they doing?
Well, students in New Zealand visited Wai-oTapu Thermal Wonderlands to learn about geothermal energy (15 percent of New Zealand’s energy), spent time at a Kiwi hatchery (that’s the New Zealand bird, not the fruit) which is working to protect hatchlings and reestablish the Kiwi population throughout the country, learned about traditional Maori culture, and then finished the day by walking through a forest where they saw glowworms (described by Associate Head of School Colleen Schilly as “tiny stars among the forest floor.”)
In Puerto Rico, students went to the El Yunque rainforest, after spending the previous day working at a local charter school and community garden weeding and planting. The day ended with a meet-up with former Scott Center Program Lead Vanessa Fernandez, who moved back to Puerto Rico this year and was able to share her unique perspective on the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico. As 8th grader Joshua reflected, “it’s incredibly special to get to be in such a beautiful place and be with friends and teachers and learn in this way.”
Meanwhile, in Detroit, students this morning visited Avalon Village, a neighborhood revitalization project, and then met with Piper Carter, a podcaster who shared with them about motown, hip hop culture, graffiti and social justice. At Avalon Village the students met Mama Shu, a local changemaker who has fought to provide essential services for children and youth in a section of the city that has long been without city services.
Other students are in Spain, Yosemite, Olympic National Park, and Los Angeles having their own amazing adventures, and there is even a small group that remained here locally and spent yesterday visiting murals in downtown San Jose and learning about San Jose’s incredibly diverse and dynamic history.
While the breadth of experiences is certainly something for which we are proud, the why behind Reach Beyond Week is actually the most important thing to understand. And what is that why? Our belief that engaging students in real-world learning creates authentic opportunities to understand the world as it is, envision what it might be, and begin to think about how they can partner now (as Middle Schoolers) and in the future to make the world a better place. It reflects our belief that students do not need to wait until they grow up to do real things and to grapple with our foundational questions – what matters to you and what are you doing about it.
These kids are taking risks, going well beyond their comfort zones, and pushing themselves to be their best. While we strive to have it happen each and every day on our campus, there is no doubt that Reach Beyond Week takes that daily Hillbrook experience and catalyzes it in ways that are truly transformative, for these students and, we believe, for the world.