Here are some highlights from the past two weeks—April 7 through April 18—in the Upper School.
🤩 Surprise… It’s Dam Day! Student Council members surprised Upper School students on April 17 by announcing Dam Day, a celebratory day full of activities outside of the school schedule. This year, the festivities included a petting zoo, a dunk tank, bubble soccer, and more. Student Council planned the festivities with the goal of building community across grades.
🏳️🌈 Students speak up by staying silent. The LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group organized a Day of (No) Silence on campus, creating an opportunity for students to take a stand against the mistreatment of queer students in schools. The protest allows participants to take a vow of silence in an effort to bring attention to ways schools and communities can become more inclusive. At the end of the protest, participants gathered on the Cohn Terrace for a “breaking of the silence” rally where students shared what the protest meant to them.
🎓 The class of 2025 gives back! Seniors gathered to kick off the Senior Annual Fund, a campaign highlighting the transition from senior to alumni. The Senior P+E Committee–a group of seniors chosen to lead the campaign–used the gathering to encourage their peers to give back, celebrating the people and programs that made their Beaver experiences fulfilling.
🏃♀️ Celebrating women in sports. Five female-identifying students joined Assistant Director of Athletics Alyssa Hart on a trip to Cushing Academy for the 2025 Girls in Sports Leadership Summit. Through a series of workshops and speakers, students developed the confidence and communication skills necessary to become leaders on and off their teams.
🔍 Law & Order: BVR! Forensic Science students designed and investigated fake crime scenes for an assignment focused on crime scene processing. In addition to gathering evidence and taking fingerprints, students also had to propose theories on potential suspects and motives. To read more about this assignment, click here.
🎶 From practice rooms to Bradley Hall. Student musicians taking private lessons at Beaver showcased their work at a Private Music Lesson Recital. Students took the stage to perform solo, with their peers, or with their instructors. Performances ranged from a violin cover of Taylor Swift to a dramatic rendition of Broadway’s Beetlejuice, highlighting the diversity of talents and interest amongst student musicians.
🇺🇳 Model UN Conference brings students together. Students in the BVR Model UN club were among the 500 that attended the Northwestern University Model UN Conference. A highlight of the trip came when Beaver alum Patrick Berg ’23–who happened to be chairing a committee at NUMUN–connected with students ahead of the conference. As a previous member and leader of BVR MUN, Patrick helped welcome the group to Northwestern and gave feedback on their work. To read more about this conference (including the various awards students won), click here.
🍩 Kim Samson sits down with seniors. Senior advisories are taking turns meeting in the Rogers Room to share donuts and chat with HOS Kim Samson. The check-in comes at a pivotal moment in senior spring, allowing students to share reflections about their time at Beaver as well as plans for what’s next.