My favorite year in gym class was as a sophomore because class revolved around fun activities, working as a team, and developing bonds. Upon reflection, I find myself wondering whether or not I actually did bond with my classmates. Similar activities were performed during freshman orientation this year. By the end of the day, I found myself wondering if the class of 2020 had actually bonded over the past two hours, as hints of underlying teasing and bullying were still present. Was this the right approach to develop a happy and connected incoming class? Or, should the day have followed a more proactive activity? How should RMHS build a stronger sense of community, trust, and friendship within each class and as a school as a whole?
In past years at RMHS, select students from each grade have participated in an all day activity called Challenge Day. Those who were involved reported positive feedback, and although it was emotional and personal, students felt connected after the day ended. Perhaps, more meaningful activities such as Challenge Day would allow incoming freshman to connect to their peers in a stronger way.
When interviewed about this topic Mr. McSweeney stated, “I don’t know how much the team building activities helped them. There is only so much we can do that day. Could something else be better, it’s possible that something else...would be better.” Perhaps this “better” solution is an updated version of team building activities; a combination of play and reflection. However, Mr. McSweeney made a valid point in that activities similar to Challenge Day “may be a little too intense for orientation.”
This is true, but the overarching goal of making freshman feel comfortable, and also aware of RMHS’ core values, may only be achieved through a more “intense” program. As Mr. McSweeney said, “at worst, [we] are raising ...awareness of [the core values]. Are they deeply ingraining them, no, but...awareness is higher [due to fly up day and orientation]...the trick is always, how do you make [the core values] ingrained.” Mr. McSweeny agreed that team building, “as a stand alone way of transmitting and making the values come alive [is] not enough, [but] as part of a full approach, it could be a nice piece.”
Ms. Theriault, the new assistant principal at RMHS helped organized orientation alongside Mr. McSweeney. She said that “the core values were inter-rolled into the activities outside with the adventure program.” She also explained that when she went around asking groups of students their opinions on the days activities, they responded that “really liked it..[and it was] absolutely helpful.” More importantly when Ms. Theriault asked freshman about the core values, they knew “all four.” As was observed by both Mr. McSweeny and Ms. Theriault, at the very least, the team bonding activities allowed freshman to be exposed to the core values at RMHS. However, whether they will apply these values throughout this school and the years that come after that, remains unknown for the moment.
As RMHS works to revitalize their core values, it may be just as important and valuable that the faculty work to create links within each class at the beginning of their career at RMHS. Creating a strong foundation on community, friendship, and trust may solve problems down the road such as teasing, bullying, and mental illnesses. These are all concerns that RMHS works to eliminate; perhaps activities like Challenge Day and Freshman Orientation should be scattered throughout the school year, allowing students to be reminded of the core values. Furthermore, these activities would serve as an opportunity to reflect, “am I truly taking these values into consideration each day?” For me, the answer is not always yes, but I hope the future generations of RMHS students respond in a different manner.