| Creating
Concept of Community Within a School
by
Sr. Kathleen Fagan, RSHM, Headmistress, Marymount School
From
book buddies to senior seminars, Marymount School is committed
to building a community in which all members thrive. A handshake
at the front door welcomes each student to school, while chapels,
retreats and assemblies give us the opportunity to reflect
as a group, sharing our vision and goals with each other. We
value the separate, yet collaborative roles of everyone involved
in our school—students, parents, faculty and alumnae—who together
create an optimal learning environment.
As
a Nursery-Class XII school, we have established many traditions
that link girls of all ages. Kindergarten and Class II share
reading time. Students in both Lower and Middle School eat
lunch family-style with teachers and students from other grades.
Freshmen are assigned junior big sisters, and all families
new to the school are matched up with a current family even
before classes begin.
After
opening our new Middle School building in 2002, we strengthened
our community even further. Although the Middle School at
2 East 82nd Street is less than two blocks away from the Fifth Avenue buildings,
we knew it was important for our middle school girls to maintain their connection
to the rest of the school. We assigned all our students to “Houses” named after
notable women. Each House includes young women from kindergarten through Class
XII and meets periodically for special activities and occasions, allowing strong
relationships to be built across all grade levels.
Parental
involvement is an essential element in education; in fact,
we see parents as partners with the school. We offer a variety
of parenting workshops each year, and there are many opportunities
for parents to become active members of our community, from
assisting on field trips to chaperoning school dances to giving
tours to applicants and their families.
Involvement
in the Marymount community does not end at graduation. Marymount
alumnae stay connected with the school through an active alumnae
association. Alumnae are invited to discuss their careers with
our graduating class annually in a series of senior seminars
and often provide internship opportunities as part of a mandatory
program for our seniors each spring. Some alumnae—myself included—have
returned to Marymount as teachers, administrators or parents.
Regional events across the country allow even our more distant
alumnae the opportunity to catch up with their alma mater.
Marymount
is part of an international network of schools founded by the
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, with schools in London,
Rome, Paris and Los Angeles as well as New York. Student exchanges
and frequent collaboration between the network schools stretch
the boundaries of the Marymount community across the globe.
We also teach our students that our community extends beyond
the school walls to the world around them and that they have
a responsibility to this greater community, as well. As our
mission states: “Students are urged to become active community
participants, responsive to others within and beyond Marymount.”#
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
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the publisher. © 2003.
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