A Great First Week

Antilles’ 76th year began with students moving quickly from welcome-back moments into the work of learning, creating and finding their place on campus.

Sixth and ninth graders took part in dedicated orientations, while younger students toured the School with their teachers, learning where to go, who they could turn to and how the broader Antilles community supports them. Sixth graders put that idea into practice through an activity organized by teacher Alexis Porfilio, interviewing faculty and staff while building the communication, collaboration and independence needed for Middle School.

By Tuesday of opening week, members of the Class of 2027 were moving from pan to pan as Co-Band Director Brandon Reburn introduced the full range of instruments that shape a steel ensemble. For many, the class was also a reunion with a teacher who first taught them in beginner band years ago.

In Upper School Spanish, Middle and Upper School Spanish teacher Gylchris Sprauve began with a different kind of connection, asking students to move beyond vocabulary and grammar, connect the language to their own interests and learn to “live in the language.”

Even the lighter moments carried a larger purpose. In Health and Information Literacy, teachers Margaret Avery and Nicole Notermann asked eighth graders to choose a side—literally—on whether a hot dog is a sandwich, then defend their positions in an activity designed to get them moving, listening and thinking together. The lesson opened a broader conversation about how the brain grows stronger through practice and persistence.

In third grade, teacher Rebecca Rodriguez’s first show-and-tell gave Oliver Stewart ’36 the chance to practice speaking and answering questions with a little help from Mr. Pricklypants, first grade’s visiting class hedgehog.

What great experiences back: thoughtful teaching, meaningful programs and daily opportunities for students to test ideas, build confidence and discover what they can do.