"Gift Boxes" Help Sixth Graders Explore and Share Identities

What gifts or interests do you bring to our school community? Why are these gifts important to you? How do your gifts make our school a better place?

These are the questions Middle School teachers posed for sixth-grade students this week, with the goal of helping our youngest middle schoolers identify the contributions they can make to our community and help shape their identities in the process. The exploration is especially meaningful during continuous learning when students are not on campus to share their gifts in person.

“We’re asking each sixth-grader about the things that make them who they are and things of which they’re really proud,” Middle School Humanities Teacher and Sixth-Grade Dean Charley Adams said. “And how they can make this class a better class because of their identities.”

An annual tradition usually coordinated around the sixth-grade overnight trip in the fall, students this year are creating and presenting their own gift boxes instead of them being prepared by classmates. Students are working on scripts to introduce themselves with a photo and, while each student presents, they wear a homemade crown of their choice. Each advisory group will present their gift boxes to the rest of the sixth grade over the upcoming weeks before winter break.

“It's all about creating an inclusive community of learners, of people who are known, seen, and appreciated for their individual gifts,” Adams said. “Ultimately, it ties into a lot of the identity work we do throughout the year.”

Tying into the identity mapping, along with the summer reading of The Best At It by Maulik Pancholy, the gift box exercise explores the uniqueness in each of us. Each person’s gifts are a big part of what makes them an amazing person. Middle School faculty are challenging each sixth-grader to think about which of their personal qualities, characteristics, talents, or other affinities are most important to them for sharing.

“My favorite part is seeing the sense of pride in kids when they have a chance to offer information about themselves that they're really proud of in a place that is meant for that to happen,” Adams said. “They can share something about themselves in a space where that's what's expected so that it doesn't come off like a brag. We want kids to know . . . you should be proud of who you are.”