School Spirit is Up and GrOwing in the Middle School

May 8, 2020

Academics

GNS

Our Middle School is building school spirit in many different ways! Not only are students taking part in various challenges both inside and outside school hours, but recently, students were able to spread cheer throughout the community with the Gratitude and Positivity Challenge.

“We wanted to tie in a ‘real world’ experience with something that we have been developing across the Middle School all year,” explained Mr. Jake Burnett, our Middle School Principal. “We know how important it is to show our core value of ‘caring’ in what we do, and with the opportunity to make a public show of our appreciation for our front line service providers, we thought this was a great opportunity to take. Our Young Round Square teachers (Ms. Waugh and Ms. Howey) helped to coordinate and share the plan for this action.”

Submissions for the Gratitude and Positivity Challenge ranged from posters thanking healthcare and essential workers, to chalk art and goodies left out to help neighbours.

House points were given to each student who participated in the challenge. Additional points were given to three students who won their categories. ‘Most Original’ was won by Brock B, ‘Most Elaborate’ was won by Freya S, and ‘Most Creative’ was won by Jessica M.

“It was neat to see how creative and thoughtful our students had been in what they put together, and how they showed their appreciation,” added Mr. Burnett.

Mr. Burnett said the challenges have been a good way to keep school spirit up and remind everyone that GNS is a strong community.

“A strong community is built with a shared sense of spirit because we’re all aiming for the same goals, even though we might achieve them differently. We might do this through our houses, or our actions as individuals. Whatever we choose to do, we want to keep a focus on a spirit of fun, involvement and positivity.”

To continue maintaining school spirit during their campus closure, the Middle School has participated in many different challenges and theme days. They were invited to “wear a tie” and “Dress in #1 uniform” for assembly, and there have been birthday celebrations, homeform special traditions, house quizzes, and talent presentations, many based on the skills they have learned in the last few weeks. The most recent school spirit initiative is the GNS GO! Family Challenge. This is open to students and their families from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 and runs from May 1 to May 22 with new activities being added each week.