Off and Running

Students end first week of classes with Club Bazaar, house- and form-specific activites.

BY KRISTIN DUISBERG

After a full week of classes, afternoon activities, sports tryouts and preseason scrimmages, St. Paul’s School students turned their focus to fun and form bonding during the first weekend of the 2024-25 academic year. Saturday night house activities that included capture the flag and kickball games as well as an open-air painting session on the Friedman Terrace were followed on Sunday by the annual Student Club and Activities Bazaar in the Coit Upper Dining Room and form-specific boundary training and bonding activities across campus.

One of the highlights of opening week, the Student Club and Activities Bazaar is a chance for new students to learn more about the nearly 80 clubs, societies and affinity alliance groups that provide opportunities for fun and fellowship. Longstanding organizations such as the Horae Scholasticae and MISH took their place alongside the Pickleball and Insect clubs — both formed last year — and dozens more welcoming every member of the student body to this vital aspect of school life at SPS.

Following the Bazaar, the deans conducted form-specific boundary training to ensure that every student understands the concepts of healthy boundaries and consent and is aware of the supports and resources available to them on the grounds. The focus then pivoted to form bonding, with Third Formers getting to know one another with ice breakers and name games during Playfair, Fourth Formers working in small teams to solve puzzles and challenges as they built 20 children’s bikes for donation to area families in need, and Fifth Formers likewise working in small groups to build boats out of recycled cardboard and testing their seaworthiness on Lower School Pond. The Sixth Formers enjoyed snacks and games on Chapel Lawn in recognition of the great work they have done to welcome new students and set the tone for a positive year.

“This weekend really is SPS 360 in action: leveraging every opportunity to engage students in events that are just as fun as they are informative,” says Dean of Students Suzanne Ellinwood P’18,’19. “From club fairs to team challenges, we’re building community and skills across campus. After a quiet summer of planning, it was wonderful to see Millville come alive with such purposeful energy.”