Rumsey Seniors Learn to Model Values Through Overcoming Challenges Together
Rumsey Hall seniors are trained to take on leadership positions during their last year at the school, which is why the Class of 2022 travelled to Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT to participate on an adventure course, field games, and low/high ropes challenges.
“All of the workshops we’ve done with the seniors are meant to push them into a place of discovery and collaboration," shared Craigh Ough, Director of Community Service and Service Learning. "I’ve been impressed and proud of this year's group for their positivity and the feedback they give each other.”
Students that are trained to listen to each other and then act to solve a problem feel empowered in their ability to model values to others throughout their journey to secondary school...and beyond. As part or our four Social-Emotional Pillars, leadership at Rumsey is characterized by the act of intentionally modeling values—the undeniable expression of our honorable character traits.
Our leadership program is designed to create a safe space for children to discover their innate strengths. We perceive the power of our values when we take action by standing up for others. We recognize the impact of our beliefs when we give of ourselves to help our community. We inspire when we steer the direction of the integrity of a class project, the spirit on a team, or the attitude in a dorm. Then, we reflect on what happened. We collaborate on how we’ve grown, carving guideposts of empowerment to return to again and again.
We know that being a leader isn’t our destination; instead, acquiring the qualities of a leader is an endless journey of responding and then returning to our center to re-examine, retrieve, and reveal our internal values. From Lower School initiatives that introduce the concept of service-learning to our strategic VIIth Form leadership curriculum, we root into our unique empathetic nature before outwardly affecting change. Our introspective approach to honing leadership skills trains us to tap into our remarkable potentiality—growing in wisdom and connection, knowing how our gifts are best used, and seeing our impact on the world around us.
