Eighth-Grade Partnership: A Win-Win
“When you enter this loving school, consider yourself one of the special members of an extraordinary family.” Written large on a handmade poster, these words greeted Principia eighth graders on a recent trip to St. Louis Catholic Academy, a K–8 school serving at-risk, predominantly minority students in the heart of St. Louis. There, another group of eighth graders eagerly awaited them.
Their task for the day: build six wooden picnic tables. With power tools, bolts, and a lot of problem solving, the students worked together to fill a need at the Academy for places to sit during lunch.
The following week, Academy students came to Principia School, where they made decorative concrete stepping stones, which will lead to the entrance of the Bible Center now under construction. Gathered in the School art studio, students mixed and poured concrete into round forms and pressed botanical motifs onto the surface as they dried.
Two schools, two impactful projects—and countless new connections to the world outside their respective schools.
The Middle School Partnership was conceived by Samantha Dry, Principia Middle School assistant principal, and Joslyn Sandford and Peter Jones, St. Louis Catholic Academy administrator and teacher, respectively.
“We know that to make our students future-ready, the skill of empathy is hugely important—as important as collaboration, communication, creativity, or critical thinking,” says Dry, who met Sandford and Jones while touring their school. “When I met Joslyn, we were kindred spirits. She said ‘Hey, how can we partner to do something with your kids?’ And I said ‘Wow, I want to do the same!’”
The two devised a project that would benefit each school. Over a course of six visits, students met for group-building activities, completed the two service projects, organized a bake sale at Principia to raise funds for the projects, and concluded with a session sharing how they’d grown from the partnership.
Perhaps the biggest sign of success was the students’ enthusiasm. At both schools, they eagerly looked forward to project days.
“The kids were super excited,” says Sandford. “They don’t ask about anything else at school, but they ask, ‘When are we going to Prin? Is it cancelled? What time are we going? They talk about it at home,” she says. “I would have parents calling and texting over the weekend” to make sure they didn’t schedule other appointments during those times. Likewise, the Principia students, who had prior plans for a visiting day at the Upper School, changed their schedules. “They didn’t want to miss the partnership days,” says Dry.
“They were excited about giving back,” adds Sandford. “They were big on doing something and having that sense of accomplishment.”
Dry hopes to expand on the partnership next year with a larger academic project—learning something new together or solving a problem together. “I would love to see us partner with the Academy throughout the year,” she says.
See a video of the students at work.