Community is the Curriculum

One of the fundamental pillars of learning at Brightworks is community.

What we mean is that building trusting relationships, navigating conflicts, celebrating differences, and embarking on shared endeavors are some of the most important things we practice as human beings. 

Our community members, big and small, are constantly learning and practicing these skills together! Here’s how:

Mixed-Age Buddies.

Throughout the first week of school, bands from our upper school have been getting to know their band buddies in the lower school. They’ve been trading tours of their spaces, participating in getting-to-know-you activities, and building relationships with one another. Powerful moments of connection can happen with these sweet pairings, and social and emotional growth is inevitable.

Community Fridays. 

Another way we practice community is through Community Fridays. These are a time when students and adults from across the school propose clubs and projects on topics that they are passionate about that often have nothing to do with the arc. Examples of these clubs include LARP (live action role play), Newspaper Club, Cardboard Nation, Fitness Club, Magic the Gathering and many more.  Students from the whole school across ages and bands get to choose which clubs they join for an 1½ - 2 hours on Friday afternoons.  

For our first Community Friday, the whole school went down to Chrissy Field for a Field Day! Band buddies walked down the hill together and students across ages and different bands got to connect with each other.  It was an afternoon of field games, kite flying, sand castles, driftwood carving and just hanging out in the San Francisco summer weather. What an amazing way to wrap up the first week of school!