Written by Senior Editorial Board
One student summed up the general attitude towards the Wednesday Morning Meetings at Marlborough at the beginning of the last school year when she bluntly asked at an upper school meeting, “Is this a permanent thing or…?” Since then, this pessimism has been challenged by a wealth of interesting, community-enriching presentations that have accomplished MM@M’s goal of teaching members of the Marlborough community more about each other (see Morning Meetings at Marlborough). The move this year to alternate MM@M with extended advisories has accomplished exactly what community time should: helping our community appreciate one another and look beyond our campus.
Watching students and faculty share a piece of themselves with the rest of the community at MM@Ms has strengthened the bond we share with each other. It lets us learn more about the people in our community and fosters conversation. Students and faculty have learned not only that math instructor Christopher Talone has a quirky passion, Lauren Choi ’16 is a warrior princess and Alden Fossett ’17 and many others possess huge talents, but also that these people find great meaning in their hobbies.
The presentations have also succeeded in broadening students’ awareness of issues in the broader community. MM@Ms this year that corresponded with current events, such as the International Day of the Girl and presidential election rhetoric, were particularly thought-provoking discussions. This year, many MM@M blocks are also devoted to All-School President Lindsey Johnson ’16’s Global Awareness Program to discuss issues in the broader community within advisory groups. Watching videos and talking about homelessness, hunger and current events, such as the Paris attacks, has raised awareness about the effects of these issues and encouraged desire to help.
It’s important to have at least one period of every week devoted to non-academic conversation that is still informative. The MM@M time used to be a long break on Wednesdays that was spent spent interacting with a consistent groups of friends. We now get to learn about others’ interests and struggles with which we are not necessarily familiar. Community time this year has helped ground us, showing us the value of taking part in the School community and of gaining awareness of the communities beyond.
