The Rivers School Kicks Off 2017-18 Academic Year
The 2017-18 school year commenced on Tuesday, September 5, with a variety of community events, but students and faculty have been making their way back to Winter Street since August 28 for meetings, retreats, orientations, and preseason athletics.
The ninth grade made its annual trip to Windsor Mountain for three days and two nights of activities ranging from high ropes course to problem solving to kayaking. The sophomores went to Boda Borg in Malden for a morning of “questing” through unique problem solving challenges before returning to campus for a carnival and cookout.
The juniors went out into the community to lend a hand with service projects at non-profits such as A Place to Turn, the Salvation Army, Weston Trails, Natick Community Farm, and Creative Start before coming back to Rivers for their own carnival and cookout ahead of the sophomore’s return to campus. Finally, the senior class went white-water rafting and enjoyed a night away together before embarking on their final year at Rivers.
The first day of school at Rivers is marked by community-building events where the whole school can come together and share in the excitement that comes with the start of a new school year. The first All-School Meeting featured addresses from Head of School Ned Parsons and School Co-Presidents Georgia Freeland ’18 and Scott Hilinski ’18.
Mr. Parsons took the opportunity to speak about Rivers’ values in the wake of recent events throughout the country that run counter to what Rivers stands for.
“At Rivers we stand for community,” Mr. Parsons said. “For the power of a diversity of opinions and backgrounds. For the freedom to be who we are openly and an environment that encourages each person’s individuality and respects each person’s dignity. We care for each other and we encourage each other to be our best selves.”
After the meeting, Upper School students went off to condensed versions of each of their classes while the Middle School made their way over to Haffenreffer Gym to kick off their weeklong Leadership Lab. This program is structured around faculty-designed workshops that teach Rivers’ definition of leadership: “Be your best self and positively influence others.”
At the end of the day, the whole school returns to the campus center for the annual Red & White competition. This year’s competition theme was “The Eclipse,” so master of ceremonies (and Director of College Counseling) Dave Lyons ’99 solicited the help of Science Department Chair Maureen Courtney in overseeing the competition, which was highlighted by science trivia, musical challenges, and a game of “Pin the Moon on the Sun.”
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