Middle Division Update

by Fran Yellen, Middle Division Administrator

Our all school mini-unit on Silent Meeting has come to an end. Middle school students traveled to meeting houses in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn with their “Buddy Classes” and participated in rewarding and memorable silences. After the silences, we all enjoyed a picnic and some outdoor playtime. It was so wonderful to play soccer, kick ball, and Frisbee with our middle school students and to spend some time with the upper school and elementary school. Keeping connections is so important.

Middle sports teams are doing great this year! Our volleyball team has won three games and is undefeated. Our soccer team has won two games and tied one game. You must come out to see a game. Our students work hard in school and play just as hard on the court or the field. Our Lightning Soccer Coach (and Lister House homeroom teacher) Grace Daniel poetically immortalized the soccer team’s 5-4 victory over Hannah Senesh with a poem. Here is an excerpt:

Shots to the right of them,
Shots to the left of them,
Shots behind them,
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with orange jerseys,
While players fought and fell,
They got back up and fought so well,
Came through the jaws of defeat
Back from the mouth of despair,
Five goals scored, in victory they left,
Left the Lightning, triumphant.

Their glory cannot fade!
O the wild charge they made!
All the sideline wonder’d
Honour the charge they made.
Honour the Lightning Brigade.
The noble seventeen players, triumphant.

As I write this, we are anticipating our 11th Annual Middle Division Halloween Dance. We are all very excited. For many middle school students, this will be their very first school dance! They have been handing in lists of songs they would like our DJ’s to play as well as trying to figure out what each of us will be dressed up as. It’s a fun time and a highlight of our year. I’ll give you an update next month.