Throughout the school year our Deans host Community Gathering’s at each site, one for Elementary School and one for Middle School, to recognize the important work that our scholars do. These spaces give scholars, teachers, families and the entire school community a time to come together and reflect upon the gains that we have made since the last community gathering, prepare for the next phase of the year, and highlight some of the potentially unseen growth that has occurred in our classrooms and around the school. This celebration and engagement with families is at the heart of our mission. Intentionally planned events that engage the community are essential for scholar learning and success, and our outreach to families to celebrate their scholars is a cornerstone of our excellent scholar outcomes. In this article, I interviewed Dean Andre Harris, who has been a Kindergarten-Second Grade Dean for the Elementary School at Classical Charter School I for 5 years on the importance of effective community gatherings and the effect of community outreach on our scholar’s success.
Focused on Character
When asked what he thinks of when planning his Community Gatherings, Dean Harris said, “Community Gatherings celebrate our scholars and reflect the values that make our school special. I think about energy, flow, and making sure that everyone feels seen and valued.” Each Community Gathering throughout the year has as its theme one of Classical’s character pillars of Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Citizenship, and Caring. We believe that these virtues are essential to creating liberated scholars of impeccable character, a goal which is the center of our practice as educators. The character pillars are emphasized and discussed with the scholars at length every week during the Dean’s Character Education block, so that scholars see the importance of showing this character pillar in their own life. These character building blocks begin in Kindergarten and occur from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, with each year’s curriculum building on the previous years to create scholars who have a nuanced worldview and are committed to making positive impacts in the world The Community Gathering comes at the end of each Character Pillar unit and serves as a chance for scholars to put the lessons that they have learned int he unit to practice.
Led By Scholars
To involve the scholars, “We give scholars ownership. They might perform, lead call-and-responses, share reflections, or help create visuals.” Throughout the unit, our deans will engage scholars in various activities that directly relate to the character pillar in question. These different activities can range from arts projects to poems, performances, skits, and recitations. As the Community Gathering draws closer, the Dean then encourages the scholars to participate in these activities and to perform them in front of the school. For those particularly interested scholars, they then practice these activities separately with the Dean and assemble a program of reflections on that Community Gathering’s theme. They then introduce each subsequent part of the program and act as Masters of Ceremony, introducing each other and what each scholar will be doing to exemplify the theme. This inclusion provides our scholars with an essential opportunity to own their learning.
Grounded in Recognition
Each teacher nominates scholars in their class for awards based on that Community Gathering’s focus. To earn a Character Pillar award, a scholar must demonstrate consistent use of that character pillar in the classroom every day. In addition, deans celebrate those who have made growth in any behavioral category and many academic categories as well. This gives scholars a chance to reflect and see that the work that they do matters and helps them to grow. This event also gives teachers the opportunity to recognize scholars who have made great contributions to the classroom community through the Pillar awards and to positively praise them in ways that inspire growth.
Open to All
The Community Gathering is also open to all parents and family members of scholars who want to attend. We recognize that our greatest resource is the community that we serve and the people of the South Bronx. Our scholars and our families work incredibly hard in conjunction with our teachers to produce excellent results, and we use this valuable opportunity as a chance to celebrate that we can achieve amazing things working together. Gatherings remind us, as Dean Harris said, “That we’re one community, reinforcing our core values of Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship, while celebrating growth together – making our school culture stronger and more connected.” Please apply today to join our joyful community of committed educators