Last week, STS welcomed over 60 new students in Elementary, Middle and Senior School to attend our Shadow mornings, an annual event hosted by our STS Enrollment department. Shadow mornings give new students the opportunity to experience a day in the life of an STS student before officially beginning classes in the fall. Upon the new students’ arrival, students are paired with an STS buddy who accompany them throughout the day’s activities. The activities that took place during Shadow Mornings varied throughout the divisions giving all new students the opportunity to get a glimpse of what their time at STS would be like. Starting at a new school in a completely different environment can be nerve-wracking and intimidating, and because of this, it is our priority at STS to make every member of our community feel welcomed and cared for.
Our buddy system during Shadow mornings ensure that our new students have a familiar face to come to as they adjust to their new environment at STS. During our Elementary School Shadow morning, our new students were paired with their STS buddies to complete a design challenge in separate teams. In Grade 1, students were assigned to build marshmallow toothpick towers that would be strong enough to withstand the power of a windstorm. In Grade 2, students were tasked with building a tower made of playing cards that would stand tall against any motion. The Grade 5 students used their iPads to code and program their sphero bots in a particular direction and the Grade 6 students constructed eclipse apparatuses that mimicked a solar eclipse when used in a dark room with a flash light. The design challenges allowed new students to build a relationship with their new peers and to collaborate with them in order to achieve a common outcome using inquiry-based skills.
A special thank you to all the STS students who acted as STS buddies during Shadow mornings and beyond. We are looking forward to officially welcoming all new students in the Fall of 2019.
