Last week, the Class of 2024 headed to the Eastern Shore in Maryland for an overnight student leadership retreat and summit. At the summit, Calvert’s Seventh Graders connected with their peers in a beautiful outdoor education setting outside Baltimore and learned more about the concepts of leadership and purpose.

In advisory groups, students participated in a series of workshops, middle school leadership activities, and bonding experiences including outdoor education, a zipline, a climbing wall, and a ropes course. They reflected on their Calvert journey and talked about middle school leadership, specifically how they have been leaders at Calvert through community partnerships and the gifts they bring to the larger community. Throughout the two days, the Seventh Graders had the opportunity to connect with each other and to learn more about their teachers. 

Mr. Bennett and Ms. Dennison both took the time to share personal reflections with the whole group about their lives not only as teachers and coaches, but also as individuals in the world. Ms. Liotta was also an important presence, helping remind students that the work they were doing at this summit would lay a strong foundation for next year’s high school placement process. 

These conversations were a great starting point for their Eighth Grade year, which includes a thorough journey of self-discovery when they will delve deeper into topics of leadership and purpose while considering where to continue their educational journeys.

In the end, students crafted purpose statements that reflect their individual strengths and the impact they want to have on the world around them. They designed puzzle pieces with their individual statements, which they shared with their classmates at the end of the summit. These puzzle pieces are a visual representation of how each member of the Class of 2024 plays an important role in making the group whole.