Spending time physically apart due to the global pandemic highlighted how much place-based community matters to each of us. We missed the cacophony created by students rushing to the Commons for lunch or cheering for each other in the Pumadome, and the chance encounters in the hallways that allowed us to catch our lives up with each other. This fall, we were jubilant and sometimes slightly awkward as we came together to continue to strengthen our UPrep community. We asked two teachers, two students, and a staff member to share their thoughts on building community during the 2021–2022 school year.

PAUL FLEMING
Fine Arts Teacher & Theatre Manager

"The essential ingredient for a community is trust. In theater classes, trust is essential so students will feel free to make mistakes and express themselves in unconventional ways. Many Americans tend to mask their emotions. In a theatre class, I encourage students to take risks. Therefore, acting exercises I implement in class include relaxation warm-ups, concentration games, guided imagery, and trust exercises. I always assure my students that I wouldn't ask them to do anything I wouldn't do or haven't done in my own theatre training. The other key to creating a caring community is emotional, verbal, and physical support. We can give that support to each other by being unafraid to approach each other, to be open, and to sit by others in need and offer support through listening. When I teach acting, I am teaching students to listen, because true listening creates honest reactions in rehearsal and in performance. My foundational truth in acting is that actors don't act, they react. I believe that to listen and honestly respond to one another relates to every element of our lives."

LOURDES GUTIERREZ
Middle & Upper School Math Teacher

"Community all comes back to having a sense of belonging. I keep flashing back to when I first took a tour of UPrep before I applied for the job. I felt that sense of belonging as I walked through the doors. Whenever I teach, I always try to create that sense of community. I do a lot of verbal check-ins with my Middle School students. I call it the two-word mash-up, like give me your favorite drink and the last music you listened to that really moved you. Or I do emoji check-ins: pick an emoji and tell me why you chose it. I'm interested in what they have to say and how they are feeling. In Upper School classes, I do paper check-ins by putting a question inside a box on quizzes or tests. I like to poll my students on popular culture: is Billie Eilish still relevant? Learning their lingo helps build community."

Katrina Menshutkina
Senior, Varsity Volleyball Player

"Transparency and having everyone on the same page are key ingredients to building community. Before we play every game, each player says their goal for the game and we cheer them on. After the game, we huddle up and everyone says something positive about everyone else. Even if we lost, some people still had the best game they've ever played. It feels good to have everyone notice that success. It also builds support and safety; even if you didn't play well, other people played well and being proud of each other is important. I can really tell other UPrep students care and are willing to support each other, especially this year. I often do my best work when I'm surrounded by other people—when my teammates and fans and my coaches cheer me on. t's a really warm feeling that I won't forget."

PATRICK KING
Diversity & Community Program Manager

"The layout of our Diversity and Community Office feels intentional: the first thing you see is space for students to meet, which lends itself to people wanting to communicate. It feels like you are coming into someone's living room. It's a place where you can just be you and be present; you can do homework and chat, or, on a Friday afternoon, you can turn on the TV and hang out. It's been incredible to see how just offering physical space creates community and how students have been able to find and create relationships just by being in proximity with each other. Even the name—Diversity and Community—is about the intentionality of putting those two pieces together. Every element of our office is about building community and preparing our community to change and to grow. Our community is not as diverse as it could be. We are always working to build cultural competency, so we can be more welcoming and open and hold space for the folks that are in our community now and for the ones who are not in our community yet."

Travis Ticeson
8th Grade, Drummer in Jazz Band

"I think jazz is the best class for me. It's where I can express more of my feelings. It's much easier to translate my feelings into music that into words. I love playing drums and being the person who keeps everyone else in check and in line—with music instead of words. I really enjoy Mr. Parker's company and being taught by him. He's a comfortable person to be around, and he says we can ask him anything one-on-one, and sometimes I take him up on that. To create community, I think you need safe people in your community who put you up and not put you down."