We’ve had two weeks of in-person activity at North Star! Teens are inside the building for the first time since March 2020: going to classes, sitting on couches, cooking in the kitchen! I am seeing my colleagues face-to-face on a daily basis. We are re-establishing community behaviors and generating our North Star culture of welcoming and inclusion. It is a work in progress.
Mostly, I see people loving the chance to be together and to have a place to go outside of their homes. Even teens with social anxiety are appreciating the chance to confront the hard moments and put themselves out in the world. We have missed this sort of engagement, and I think I can speak for the vast majority of our staff and teens who are feeling energized and optimistic with our first days.
Some new classes this year include: Fire, Chorus, Anatomy and Physiology, Cultural Anthropology, and Consent in the Romance Novel. Returning favorites include Band, Mathematical Thinking, Future of the World, Theater Games, Writing Your Life, Hiking, Social Issues, and Herbalism, among others. We have a full group going to the Amherst Survival Center every week to volunteer, a weekly hike, and we have a lively Community Stewardship crew planning social events to connect us. We look forward to hosting our tutors from UMass soon.
Meanwhile, our weekly advisory sessions with each teen have begun, and we are hearing about their explorations of these classes and how things are going socially. To be clear, there are nuances and struggles. Some teens are finding friends; others find the ease with which others connect to be intimidating. Some revel in their freedom to choose what to do; others feel they aren’t doing enough and crave some assignments or external direction. Some have a long view about how this process will develop over the next couple of years; others are impatient for things to happen right now. Our private conversations with teens are the heart of our work, and we are glad to be trusted allies to our members and parents.
At our Opening Ceremonies, I remarked that we are beginning this year with about 50 members – a bit lower than our usual number. It turns out we have the standard amount of new members (15-20) but that our number of 3rd and 4th year members is lower than in the past. We’ve has some attrition during the pandemic. Teens have lost their connection to each other and our community, and they have drifted away. I am confident we will grow back to our usual 60-65 members during the year, though I am curious to see at what pace. Stay tuned.
Covid-19 is part of our world. We are all wearing facemasks on the premises. We have limits on the number of people for each room. All adults and about 95% of teens are vaccinated. Still, in the first week, one (vaccinated) family had a contagious outbreak at home and the teen has yet to attend in person. Another had a (vaccinated) teacher from another activity report a positive Covid-19 test, and our member stayed home until getting negative test results. This sort of awareness and interruption is our “new normal.”
Here are a few more photos from our first week. We are on our way!
