It’s five o’clock, and I have just returned to my office after saying goodbye to the over eighty students who participated in our after school co-curriculum programs today. Four soccer fields were busy this afternoon with over seventy students playing and practicing. The Farm Team played an intramural game, and our Junior Varsity and Varsity teams practiced (our Varsity girls and boys travel to Indian Mountain School for games tomorrow). And, over a dozen students returned to campus from the Winthrop Theater, excited about the original play that they have written and produced, and that they will perform for us on November 6th and 7th
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Co-curricular involvement is an integral part of each upper and middle student’s experience at Berkshire Country Day School, providing essential learning opportunities and exercises for the body and mind after the school day ends at three o’clock. At BCD, our fields, theater, and band room provide extensions to the classroom; where each student is challenged and meaningfully engaged, and growth occurs through collaborative and dependable relationships with teammates, directors, and coaches. While each venue teaches and develops specific skills, our programs also emphasize inclusivity, commitment, perseverance, and cooperation, and other essential character traits and values.
We will continue to work on strengthening our co-curricular programs during the coming months. And, as a smaller school, we need to increase participation and address program vitality and balance going forward. I am pleased to see so many children fully involved in the life of the school, and I am hopeful that we will find ways to attract those students who did not participate this fall to join and reap the benefits of our many co-curricular program offerings during the winter and spring.
The area near the wall and kiosk was abuzz with tired and happy children at the end of the day. Parents were checking in with one another and enjoying the warm fall day, and seven students boarded the school van to go and serve dinner at St. Stephen’s table.
