WiNK

by: Charlotte Purkiss

Freshman Academy takes place every Wednesday from 12:45-2:50pm. This is a time for the Freshman class to gather on the hill and split into groups. Usually half of the grade goes with Health Teacher Mrs. Wilkinson and the other half with Mr. Rexford, Dean of Upper School. During the time with Mr. Rexford, we focus on SEL (social emotional learning). "Social Emotional learning is the study of our emotions, it's the core of all of our success or failures as we are approaching each moment. Let's take the time, let's do it right and learn from every opportunity," said Mr. Rexford. At the beginning of our time together we fill out a survey about our current mood and it makes us think about why we feel this way and if it's negative, how to fix it. Then sometimes we move onto a Win At Social activity or we do some group work that involves being outside. Win At Social is a live activity that involves technology. There is a big tv that is in control and we use our devices to participate in the activity. Our last Win At Social activity was about smartphone usage, and how companies trick you into using your phone more. Usually we conclude the activity by having a debate about a big topic, which really encourages us to think more about what we are learning.

At around 1:45 we switch groups, so that one group goes to Mrs. Wilkinson and the other group goes to Mr. Rexford. The group with Mrs. Wilkinson does health, where we learn about the five aspects of health. We talk about physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual health, we also talk about the areas of wellness such as emotional/mental, social, physical, intellectual, environmental, financial, occupational and spiritual wellness.

Photos from Wednesday's Freshmen Hike, which encompasses all aspects of this learning: