Educator Insights

From Middle School Head Mark Bosick, November 15, 2024

Dear Middle School Families,

It was early September and the middle schoolers still had that summer gaze – the one where you are pretty sure that you can literally see the words you’re saying flow into one ear and right out of the other. I’ve seen this so many times before, and so I paused, met the eyes of as many students as I could, and projected my voice. This was my first ever middle school town hall at ACDS, and I knew my message needed to be heard clearly and felt deeply.

“Today, I ask for your trust. Over the next few days, months, and beyond, I promise I will earn your trust through my actions and my words. I ask that your trust in me rests on two things. First, I want you to know that I care about you—deeply. I promise to keep what’s best for you in my mind and heart as I make decisions and work to build our school culture. And second, I want you to know that I believe in you. I believe in your ability to make this world a more beautiful and better place.

I’m going to ask a lot of you. I do this because I believe in your ability to achieve high expectations, and I promise to stand by your side the whole way. When things get tough, when you think you can’t do it, I’ll be there to lift you up. I promise.”

As I reflect on these first few months of school, I’m continually reminded of the vital role relationships play in building a thriving school community. Strong, authentic connections—between students and teachers, among peers, and with families—are the foundation of everything we do. It’s from these bonds that we create a culture of excellence, where every student feels seen, supported, and valued as we ask a lot of them academically and socially. We strive to create an environment where excellence is nurtured, not just expected, and where every student sees a pathway to success. This approach shows our students that we care about who they are, not just what they accomplish, and that we’re here to help them navigate their middle school years with purpose and empathy.

In middle school, where students face significant changes in their bodies, minds, and sense of self, relationships provide the stability they need to grow. This period is filled with challenges, from exploring their identity to managing new academic and social demands. When students feel connected to the adults and peers around them, they’re more likely to take risks, embrace learning, and develop the confidence to contribute positively to their community. Relationships are the cornerstone of a culture where students strive for academic excellence, AND for excellence in character—qualities like integrity, compassion, and respect.

November can be a challenging month for many students. From a middle schooler’s perspective, it has been a long time since our first day back on August 24th.  Now is the time when youngsters must reach into their reservoir of personal energy to continue to meet the many demands of life in a fast-paced school. Many of our students will do just that, but this month is also when some students will become fatigued. Somehow the comment made by a peer that was easy to ignore in September now is more bothersome. Preparing for another test can feel overwhelming. A disappointing result on some assessments may be viewed as the “teacher does not like me.” Typically November brings an increase in the number of items in the Lost and Found. We tend to see more social conflicts and academic pitfalls.  In short, a number of our students are tired.

My advice? Remember that November will be a great month for most of our students.  However, be aware that your child may seem more fragile than earlier in the year. Extra TLC and structure at home may be needed. Be careful not to look for issues as the vast majority of our middle schoolers are thriving, but know that you may need to spend some extra time with your child. Tune into the emotions of your son or daughter. While still allowing your middle schooler to be in charge of their own experience, be ready to provide more support and even hugs than you needed to in September.

This can be true for adults as well and just yesterday, I found myself in need of a little self-care. So, I walked out back behind the middle school building to take some deep breaths and listen to the sounds of Castle Creek. There, I noticed a quote from Maya Angelou engraved on a stone which read, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

I think Maya Angelou’s words sum it up perfectly…

Let’s keep relationships at the heart of our community, grounding us in trust, empathy, and shared purpose. By fostering meaningful connections in our classrooms, homes, and partnerships, we strengthen the bonds that support every student’s growth.

Sincerely,

-Mark Bosick

From Lower School Head Adam Hancock, November 15, 2024

Balance is a word commonly found in schools. Whether it describes a balance between divergent curricular perspectives, a balance focused on student distribution, or a balance between academic and non-academic learning, the concept of balance is considered carefully at Aspen Country Day School. When crafting academic schedules, we seek a strategic balance between in-classroom and out-of-classroom learning. Within this intentional balance, there is one essential ingredient. Play. 

Our active mountain community agrees that play is important.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has asserted that play is fundamentally important for learning 21st century skills, such as problem solving, collaboration, and creativity – each essential for adult success. More recently, author Jon Haidt, in his influential book, The Anxious Generation, details play as one of the powerful tools schools and families can employ to combat the contemporary epidemic of childhood anxiety. This mental health crisis, Haidt proposes, has been catalyzed in part by the loss of a play-based childhood. 

Last Friday at our Parent University discussion, I traveled down memory lane with a group of ACDS parents. We reminisced fondly about our own youth. Common threads woven throughout our reflections included free-range, unstructured play, and outside. Words like supervision and danger were absent. With heavy hearts, we described the experience of today’s children as stressful, high-expectations, screen-influenced, and over-scheduled. Leveraging the call to action within the Anxious Generation and other literature detailing the detrimental effects of the loss of play, we take the work of play seriously at Aspen Country Day. 

To see true play in action here at school, venture no further than the Lower School Woods. There you will discover a “ski hill” about 5’ long where students are fashioning “snowboards” and “skis” out of bark. They even have a complex system to evaluate the difficulty of the “runs.” There are balance beams formed by windfall and natural forest cycles, there are well-trodden paths, and there are forts. Oh, the forts! These child-designed, child-maintained, and child-constructed structures are marvels of engineering, collaboration, and creativity. Guided by some common-sense ground rules such as “forts remain built – no wrecking others’ creations” and “you may go inside, but not on top of forts,” the students are in charge. They communicate, solve problems, and build these forts together – all without adult input and help.

This type of play in the Lower School woods is more than just play. It is a special, essential type of play called outdoor Risky Play. Outdoor risky play is not dangerous play, but does feature elements of height, speed, loose parts (sticks, buckets, rocks), and a chance of getting “lost.” To be clear, your explorers work within a clearly defined boundary, so this last element is more of a feeling than a reality. The students are able to wondrously get lost in their imaginations. At ACDS, this outdoor risky play is an essential ingredient of our balance between academic learning and outdoor, experiential learning. The Woods are where it magically happens. We believe this work is critical. It develops young people who are self-reliant, confident, and capable of assessing risk in the world around them. 

If you would like to explore the Lower School Woods and observe this play in action, I would love to be your guide for a walk during recess any day. Just reach out! 

Good play environments have magical qualities that transcend the here and now, the humdrum, and the typical. They have flow qualities—qualities that take the child to other places and other times. They are permeated with awe and wonder, both in rarity and in imaginative qualities. 

— Joe Frost, Evolution of American Playgrounds

“Do the right thing.” 

This common charge to young people is often heard in both school and home settings. Seemingly simple on its surface, the “right thing” has been sought by deep thinkers since humankind developed critical thought. Further complicating this request is the ever-changing landscape of the social world for children. Life in school, in sports, at home, and in the community is dynamic for today’s youth. As adults, demystification of the ambiguous “right thing” will guide our children as they develop their own set of values.

Hoping to distill this abstract construct for young thinkers, author/illustrator Jon Muth beautifully integrates imagery and text in his powerful book, The Three Questions. In this important work, Muth’s protagonist searches for the answers to the Three Questions: What is the right time? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Want the answers? You will need to read it for yourself! Please take my word for it though, The Three Questions is a worthy addition to your family’s library.

To make tangible this quest for the right thing, we instill in our youngest learners at Aspen Country Day our Core Values. In his seminal work, Best Friends, Worst Enemies, Michael Thompson, Ph.D. asserts that educational communities must shape themselves into moral schools in order to holistically support learners. We accept this charge and do this work each day with students at ACDS. Please know that we do not embrace a particular moral perspective, but rather, we use our Core Values of Respect, Responsibility, Character, Community, and Perseverance to shape our student culture.

ACDS lore holds that these Core Values arose around the campfire over many outdoor education trips. Near the conclusion of each outdoor education journey, there is a structured moment where students acknowledge one another. During these intimate exchanges, students recognize the peaks and valleys, metaphorically speaking, conquered by their peers. Undoubtedly, words like perseverance and responsibility enter the conversation. From these meaningful discussions where students analyze and share who helped them, how they were supported by classmates, and in what ways they contributed to the greater good of the community.

The Core Values serve as our cultural north star at Aspen Country Day. When a student faces a moral dilemma, faculty skillfully guide our young learners in conversations around the values of our school. When this set of values is compromised by student actions, our disciplinary structure is anchored by Respect, Responsibility, Character, Community, and Perseverance. How did the student wander from our school’s set of values? What action is needed to repair the community and restore the student’s relationship with our Core Values?

This common foundation, this shared moral compass, provides ACDS students with clarity around the “Right Thing.” Children at ACDS are comforted and bolstered by our Core Values as they illuminate an age-old quest for the answers to the Three Questions. Faculty and staff leverage the ACDS Core Values as we interact with one another, shape school policy, and create a school where students are instilled with a lifelong love of learning, a sense of purpose, and a commitment to responsible citizenship.

In partnership,

Adam Hancock, Head of Lower School

Dear Middle School Families,

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

This is a common question asked of young people, and to a middle school student, this can feel overwhelming. There are limitless possibilities, all equally exciting. It can also create uncertainty, as the world is evolving quickly and the careers they’ll encounter in adulthood may not even exist yet. Our students are keenly aware of this.

That’s why we’ve shifted the question. Instead of asking, “What will we do?,” we’ve encouraged students to reflect on “Who will we be?”—not in the distant future, but in the present moment. Rather than focus on what they will do in the unforeseeable future, we ask students to reflect on who they want to be, right now, in this moment. With this in mind, we introduced Advisory Flags this year where each advisory group designed a flag with their unique name, colors, and “We Will Be” statements. The We Will Be statements are an antidote to the what will you do question. This is an exercise encouraging students to think about the qualities and values they want to embody each day.

The “We Will Be” list focuses on qualities and values and how they show up for themselves, their peers, and the school community. These flags now hang proudly in our central stairway, serving as daily reminders to be kind, caring, inclusive, creative, honest, and more. They hold one another accountable to live by these principles, creating a culture of integrity and connection.

Student Leadership & Agency

Community, connection, and contribution are core themes for us this year, and we are incredibly proud of how our students have contributed to school programs such as outdoor education trips and Blue/Green days. They set the tone, lead by example, and use their voices to express the community’s needs and values. As the eldest students on campus, leadership is a key part of their contribution. We believe that leadership skills are developed through experience, and this year, we’ve introduced two new programs to cultivate these skills: the Student Ambassador Program and the Student Leadership Council.

The Student Ambassador Program offers students the chance to serve as representatives of our school, helping to build and strengthen our community. Ambassadors host prospective students who are visiting for the day, assist with tours for prospective families, and support various parent events. Through formal training, they develop critical interpersonal skills, such as public speaking, relationship-building, and effective communication.

The Student Leadership Council provides a platform for student leaders to represent their peers while working closely with school administrators and faculty. These students plan school events, advocate for student needs, and provide input on key decisions. Through regular meetings, they influence school policies and lead initiatives that enhance school spirit, community engagement, and academic life.

Both programs require an application process, including signatures from parents and advisors. We encourage you to talk with your child about their interest in these leadership opportunities, while also respecting their decision either way. Rest assured, we will continue to offer various opportunities for leadership development throughout the year.

Artificial Intelligence in Education

Our faculty is also leading by example, diving into the evolving topic of artificial intelligence (AI) alongside our students. With AI rapidly shaping education, we’ve chosen to explore its implications, rather than shy away from it. In a recent advisory lesson, titled Breaking Down ChatGPT and the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Our Lives, students explored how generative AI programs like ChatGPT are becoming part of everyday life. They discussed both the benefits and potential challenges AI brings, and brainstormed how AI could be used (or limited) in schools moving forward.

We believe involving students in these conversations keeps our approach student-centered, focused on building literacy and student engagement, rather than enforcing rigid policies. The level of interest and knowledge they’ve shown in this topic has been remarkable.

As always, we encourage you to be curious with your middle schooler and engage them in conversations about leadership, AI technologies, and how they see themselves contributing to our school community. Families can even create their own “We Will Be” statements, fostering shared values and purpose at home.

We are so proud of how our students are stepping up this year, and we will continue to keep you informed on our progress. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership.

Sincerely,

Mark Bosick, Head of Middle School, and the ACDS Middle School Team