For Middle School Principal Bill Wolf-Tinsman, the first day of school always feels like a fresh start. August 23, 2022, was no exception.
“This is the first step of a nine-month journey,” Wolf-Tinsman said. “It will be filled with good challenge, new opportunities, and the chance to discover new capabilities academically, artistically, and athletically.”
Middle School students are eager to find out who they will become, Wolf-Tinsman said; their parents are just as excited to witness their child come of age.
As his students arrived for the first day of the 2022-2023 school year, Wolf-Tinsman greeted each with a fist bump outside the doors of the Chowdry Middle School. Once inside, students reunited with classmates and quickly got down to the business of unlocking lockers, finding classrooms, logging into iPads, and diving into offerings such as global languages and cultures, arts electives, Design Thinking, and both competitive and non-competitive athletics.
Wolf-Tinsman hosted a special Town Meeting during which he discussed safety, community, kindness, and respect with Middle Schoolers.
Students enjoyed plenty of advisory time throughout the day, when they met their advisor—their primary academic, social, and emotional support—and connected with fellow advisory members through getting-to-know-you games and activities. Advisors spent extra time helping students become familiar with routines and schedules, and they prompted them to think together about the kind of community they want to be.
For many, the highlight of the first day back was outdoor time, whether recess games of football or kickball, lunchtime gatherings in the Adirondack chairs around the Sculpture Garden, or advisory and class sessions held on one of the many grassy areas near the Middle School.
Celebrating with classmates outdoors in idyllic, late-summer weather made for a perfect start to this year’s Middle School journey.