Rising seniors prepare for leadership roles

The soon-to-be senior class

On Sunday, May 4, the V Form spent the day participating in Junior Leadership workshops, the first step in their upcoming transition into senior year. “The purpose of these meetings is to help the junior class begin to think as leaders of the School, and to provide some guidance about the responsibilities that come with leadership,” explained Dean of Students Ana Ramirez.

As preparation for the workshops, the current Residential Leaders met with faculty dorm parents to pool their wisdom and experience as dorm leaders. Each RL shared a specific scenario on dorm that they had found difficult to navigate at the time. The group then identified a few recurrent themes to address with the juniors.

“As RLs, we wanted to share our experiences from dorm this year to introduce the juniors to the kinds of challenges they will face next year,” explained Nina Punukollu, RL on Upper Moss. “We picked three themes based on what we shared in common, and we made up skits about them. We then performed the skits in front of the juniors and had them describe ways to resolve the scenarios. With the year winding down, I think working through these scenes with the juniors helps them to start thinking about what their roles will be next year.”

Drawing from their experiences over the past year, the seniors brought a variety of effective leadership skills to the table. Jessica Torres, RL on Lower Moss, explained, “We tried to emphasize the values of community and inclusiveness on a corridor, which I feel are key to helping kids transition smoothly into what can be a hectic year (speaking as an RL for sophomores). The job of any senior on a corridor is to act as a role model and interpreter between the corridor parent and the students, and even among the students themselves, especially when there is discomfort due to sticky situations.”

Esi Hutchful, RL on North Dorm, stressed the value of time spent with younger students. “It really helps when the people over whom you have responsibility not only respect you, but trust and like you as well,” she said. “If the underformers know that you are willing to help them out whenever they need you, it encourages them later on to approach you when they need help." Esi also advised rising seniors to savor their year of leadership. “A year can seem like a very long time, but I have found that it moves very quickly too; future RLs should make the most of the time they have with their underformers and their peers, because all too soon they will be the ones passing on their experiences to the upcoming class.”

After the performance and discussion of challenging scenarios, RLs fielded questions and shared general advice and guidance about life as St. Andrew’s seniors. “The meetings were not specifically designed to train RLs,” said Ms. Ramirez. “All seniors inhabit leadership roles at St. Andrew’s. The day is meant to guide the juniors as a class. The unity of a class is so important for its success.”

After lunch, students headed into the second part of the day, a series of workshops that introduced the juniors to different aspects of dorm and School life. Led by faculty members, the workshops addressed questions such as how to communicate effectively, how to create and sustain a “healthy coeducational environment,” how to set positive examples in social life on campus, how to withstand social pressures, and how to manage stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“I think the highlight of the workshops was being able to relay my experience as a leader on corridor to the next group that's going to fill in for us,” Jessica reflected. “I hope that the juniors walked away from the workshops with the same enthusiasm that I felt just a few months ago when I was in their seats.”

“All the seniors walked away with a strong sense that this junior class is going to be a stable and wise senior class,” Esi remarked after the workshops. “They showed great levels of maturity and we have no worries about their competency or leadership capabilities. They may be anxious right now, but soon enough they will realize that they already have all the skills they need to lead the School next year and be great role models.”