“We are crew not passengers.” – Kurt Hahn, Founder of Outward Bound
At Codman, school culture is developed and sustained through practices that bring the community together, promote shared understandings, and encourage all community members to become crew, not passengers.
The crew system is employed in both the Upper School and the Middle School. Each crew is a mixed-gender unit with members from all grades (Upper School grades 9-12, Middle School grades 5-8). Crews meet four times a week for 30 minutes. During Crew, students develop relationships, dedicate time to service, and engage in conversations and check-ins related to academic progress and other school related issues.
Relationships
- Crew provides each student a one-to-one relationship with an adult advisor.
- Crew provides a consistent and ongoing small-scale peer community.
- Crew meetings are frequently used for team building exercises.
- Crew members support the seniors in their Crews while they give their Senior Talks during Community Circle, a long-standing Codman tradition.
Service
- Crews identify needs in the school and in outside communities, and propose and develop projects to address those needs.
- Crews participate in school service duties including setup, serving & cleanup of lunch.
Conversations
- Students use regularly designated crew sessions to check in on academic progress in their core classes.
- Students also use crew to discuss and unpack school issues and school-wide events.
Each Crew is led by a member of the staff known as the student’s Crew Leader. The Crew Leader oversees the student’s academic progress and community involvement. The Crew Leader also serves as the main contact person between the family and school for each Crew Member. Crew Leader responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Makes phone calls home to discuss the academic and social (community involvement) progress of each Crew Member.
- Conducts Progress Conferences where students discuss their academic progress in all subjects.
- Focuses on study and organizational skills of Crew Members.
- Makes appropriate referrals for additional services for students, as needed.
At Camp Merrowvista, the Upper School’s three-day camping expedition, crews stay together for the vast majority of the trip as they learn to work together, build trust, and support each other. On the second night, students draft a personal Intention statement based on each student’s vision of their best self. Over the course of the year, students return to their Intention statement to reflect on ways in which they are or are not living intentionally. In similarity to Camp Merrowvista, where crews take turns setting up the dining hall, crews are assigned chores throughout the year at school.
