Students spent the First Friday of the school year spread out all across campus—and the greater Boston area—participating in a variety of activities. Each grade had a unique day planned that encouraged students to collaborate with peers, step into a leadership position, and spend time with new classmates. Of course, having some fun was also on the agenda.
9th grade
9th graders spent First Friday on campus competing in a scavenger hunt. With the goal of scoring points for their Advisory teams, each team was given a clue to kickstart the hunt; some clues led students to take selfies with hidden Beavers while others involved solving puzzles, answering trivia about faculty/staff, stacking crates as high as possible, and more. The scavenger hunt culminated at the pool where each team raced DIY boats made from cardboard and scrapped materials. In the end, Ms. Robertson’s advisory came out on top and won the First Friday belt!
10th grade
Similar to 9th grade, 10 grade also spent First Friday in a competitive scavenger hunt. Starting at Trinity Church in downtown Boston, each Advisory team branched out into the city to explore and complete as many tasks as possible. Teams found themselves riding a carousel in the Boston Commons, filming TikToks in the Prudential Center, and tracking down Boston landmarks. To finish the outing, students reconvened for lunch in the city.
My favorite part of First Friday was reaching out and talking to new people.
-Student reflection
11th grade
11th graders were broken up into three groups for First Friday, each with a different destination for the day. At Dane Park, students collaborated with community partners by helping with park conservation. Students at Cradles to Crayons spent time organizing donations for families in-need and learning about the various programs the organization runs. Land’s Sake Farm was also a destination for 11th graders, bringing them closer to their food as they learned about sustainable agriculture.
12th grade
For 12th graders, First Friday was all about team-building. At Hale Education—a nonprofit organization that leverages outdoor recreation in its educational programs—seniors honed in on their communication skills through obstacle courses and blindfolded challenges. A ropes course high up in the trees was also a challenge many students took on, with their classmates cheering them on from below.
Once all students were back on campus, a tasty surprise was parked next to the Bloomberg Plaza: a Kona Ice truck! Students from all grades joined together to cool off with shaved ice, discuss their activities from the day, and look ahead at the upcoming year.
