Swimming in the waters of a PK-12 school

This week I had the pleasure of taking my oldest daughter to a Berwick varsity swim meet. It was an amazing time for me to be alone with just one of my girls (a rare occurrence these days), and we talked about her dreams for the future. Already, she idolizes a number of the female swimmers on the team, and I find myself encouraging this. At the meet, she kept asking me questions about the individual swimmers, and I found myself feeling eager to talk about the blend of athleticism, work ethic, and character I know to be present on this team. Sitting in the stands watching our swimmers power through the waters achieving victory after victory, I could think of no better role models for Kenna than the female leaders of that team. I wondered what it could be like for her, and for me, to see her wearing a Berwick swimming cap some day.

About halfway through the meet, as I was using the roster to familiarize myself with the new swimmers, I was reminded once again of how normalized it is in our swim program for our Middle and Upper School students to be on a team together. Some of our Middle Schoolers, while smaller in stature, are impact contributors to the squad. As I looked up from my roster to remind myself of just who these younger kids were, I was immediately aware of how many conversations were taking place on that pool deck between our juniors and seniors and our seventh and eighth graders. While not social equals, there was laughter, warmth, and a compelling sense of team.

Sometimes we forget what is so special about a PK-12 community as opposed to an isolated Lower, Middle, or Upper School experience. If you are ever in need of a reminder of why it matters, see if you can make one of the swim meets before the end of the season. Just watching the pool deck for a few hours will say far more on this topic that I ever could in one of these blogs.

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Berwick Academy Head of School

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