By Hailey Spaeth ’17, Arts Editor
Country Day’s returning Upper School students know that 1:15-1:32 on Tuesdays and Thursdays look very different this year. If you’re not one of these returning students let me fill you in. Last year, assemblies were less organized and more of a free-for-all. If a student, teacher, dean, or administrator wanted to announce something to the rest of the student body, they would simply cluster stage left, and then wait until it was their time to speak. There was no PowerPoint, and the dean or Student Body President didn’t serve as an “MC.” Blue and White Events happened less regularly: sometimes weekly or even biweekly. When Ms. Chantal Thornberry, Dean of Students for 9th and 10th grades, and Mr. John Christiansen, Dean of Students for 11th and 12th grades, stepped into their new positions last spring, they, along with Head of the Upper School Stephanie Luebbers, decided to alter the way these assemblies will run. Their goal was to create more organized, diverse, and educational assemblies for the whole Upper School. Their decision sparked controversy within the student body.
This year Tuesday assemblies contain announcements that have been approved beforehand, as well as an educational video or discussion. Ms. Thornberry, who organizes the assemblies, wants to “showcase students and eventually bring in guest speakers” on Tuesdays. These new assemblies aim to “spark conversations and interject challenging material into our school day,” according to Mr. Christiansen, the eleventh and twelfth grade dean. In contrast, Thursdays will be similar to last year’s assemblies, with a list of (approved) announcements and then a Blue and White Event. Thursdays are more chaotic and less organized, which the students love. Lily Farrell ’19 loves the “dysfunctional-ness of Thursday assemblies.” All in all, the dean’s aim seems to be a more productive use of assembly time.
One change that some students are upset about is the sports announcements. Last year, the captains and a freshman from every sports team would announce that team’s sports for the next few days. Emma Isett ’17 thought that “having the freshman go up on stage for individual sports announcements… was good to be able to learn to talk in front of a bunch of people [and practice] public speaking.” This year, many students think that only Sean O’Brien, our Vice President, can announce sports. Student Body President David Yang wants to “stress that sports announcements [by the students] will not be cut.” Students simply have to come to either one of the deans before and ask permission, but they are still allowed to make the announcements. Unfortunately, I feel that a lack of communication about this new format has the students confused about how these new assemblies will function.
Ms. Thornberry wants to stress that “Anyone can still make an announcement.” When students check in with the deans beforehand, the assembly not only becomes more organized, but more generalized as well. Last year, people would announce a club meeting or an internship opportunity to the entire student body. According to Mr. Christiansen, “People were making little announcements that only pertained to, like, six people.” These announcements were a waste for the rest of the student body, and as a result many students never listened during assembly. The deans are attempting to eliminate these announcements from assembly by putting announcements up on the TV in the commons and encouraging club leaders to email their members announcements that need not be heard by everyone. This way, big community-wide announcements will be made during assembly and more specific notices will be communicated alternatively.
Mr. Christiansen wholeheartedly believes that this new assembly format will become the “new norm” for Country Day. However the students are still used to the old norm—the disorganized, spontaneous Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our Upper School President David Yang is in support of the new format of the assemblies because “our school is becoming more and more diverse, and we should learn about the diversity in our school.” On the other hand, many students have stressed during informal conversations their dislike for this new format. Lily Hill ’17 doesn’t understand “why they felt the need to change [the format] at all.” An anonymous sophomore claimed that “they’re just boring” and a junior claims to “sit in the very back and sleep.” (We are using the Scroll Poll to get more student opinions about this new format.) If we could find the perfect balance between the spontaneous energy of the old assemblies with the educational community-building of the new one, the new assemblies would find acceptance by the students and the deans alike.
