LS Assembly: Bringing Grades K-4 Together as a Community

On the morning of September 15, Grades K-4 at The Peck School gathered in the The Peck Commons’ multipurpose room for their first Lower School Assembly of the year.

Assemblies take place regularly on Friday mornings and are a special opportunity for all Lower School students to get together as a community. Time in assembly is used to feature student work, practice public speaking and active listening skills, as well as get to know one another a little better.

In preparation for the first Lower School Assembly of the year, first-year Head of the Lower School Ashley Tabor tasked selected Grade 4 students and our Grade 8 Student Council President with preparing speeches on Peck’s core values and how they relate to their own personal experiences. Lulu Zemaitis spoke about care, Gio Cortese on courage, Finn Delinsky on respect, Dean Elassir on resilience, Bianca McCormick on gratitude, and Sailee Shah on stewardship.

“My goal for Lower School students during assembly is to provide them with public speaking opportunities that don't feel rehearsed. Providing a safe space in a welcoming environment as well as assigning prompts that are meaningful to them permits students to speak in front of their peers in a more organic way. We want to get to know students for their authentic selves and celebrate their accomplishments,” Tabor said.

The first assembly of the year was all about welcoming the new members of the community, both students and faculty members. After listening to the short story Be a Bridge by Irene Latham and Charles Waters as an entire Lower School, students learned the importance of welcoming new peers and building connections with those around them.