Community

Student Experience

Humility, inclusivity, authenticity

At the center of Berwick Academy is a Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 community that fosters authentic experiences between students of all grade levels. We fuel a child’s innate curiosity and our culture creates a safe and inspiring place for students to follow their own intrinsic path to success. 

Statement of Community

Berwick Academy is committed to building a diverse school community that ensures active and full participation, values fairness and equity, and addresses the systemic marginalization experienced by underrepresented groups. We strive to support and attract students, families, faculty, staff, and administrators whose varied backgrounds, including disability status, family composition, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status, strengthen our community. 
Through our curriculum, co-curricular activities, and community-building efforts, students can expect to leave Berwick Academy Knowing Themselves and what makes up their identity. They will be Socially Aware, open-minded, empathetic, and willing to explore and understand others’ perspectives. We equip our students to be Civically Engaged citizens, so that they may give of themselves and actively work to redress inequity toward a more just society as Equity Minded upstanders and allies.
“Dedicated to promoting virtue and useful knowledge” now and in the future, we must prepare students to understand, identify with, and engage in an ever-changing world.

Lower School Events & Activities

  • Overview

    The Lower School provides an important first step in the development of community-oriented experiences at Berwick Academy. In a distinctly joyful environment, our in-school and after-school experiences provide a comprehensive academic and social foundation for students and families as they begin their Berwick journey. The events and activities below provide examples of our comprehensive efforts in this important area. 

  • Community Meeting

    The Lower School students meet weekly for a Friday morning assembly in the Rioux Room with topics ranging from holiday celebrations to sing-alongs to service project reviews. Faculty announcements, fourth grade ambassador reports, and the weekly birthday song round out the assemblies. Assemblies may also be all-school affairs, including Community Circles, Holiday Assembly, and Earth Day Assembly.

  • Fall Blue and White Weekend

    A scheduled Saturday in late September or early October annually offers a chance for students and parents from all Divisions to gather on campus for a number of athletics, arts and community-fun activities. Besides watching Middle and Upper School sports matches and attending the barbecue lunch, Lower School students enjoy grade-level relay race events and a carnival.

  • Field Trips

    On-campus and off-campus field trips provide important learning extensions. From the excitement of Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students experiencing their initial campus journeys to the enthusiasm around the fourth graders’ Plimoth Patuxet field trip, the faculty strives to schedule special events that will enhance and extend our well-rounded curriculum.

  • Halloween Parade

    Lower School students take time from their regular program to dress in their Halloween costumes and participate in a parade that circles the campus. Families are invited to attend and cheer on the event, as are students and faculty from the older divisions.

  • Ice Cream Social

    At the end of the first week of school, the Lower School students and faculty pause for an ice cream social. Families are invited as we celebrate the first week and anticipate the wonderful school year ahead.

  • Lower School Production

    The annual Lower School Production is a much-anticipated event for our students and the broader Berwick community. Under the direction of our faculty members, the Lower School eagerly prepares for its annual spring performance. This interdisciplinary learning opportunity blends dramatic, oral, and musical performance with classroom curricular goals. The process culminates in stage productions for student and family audiences.

  • Pizza Bingo Night

    The Lower School Pizza Bingo Night is typically held on a Friday night in January. It features family fun around the game of bingo, along with prizes for the children and pizza and pot-luck side dishes for all.

  • Recess

    Whether playing in within the playground structure, on the mini-turf field, or in the hedge tree area, recess is an exciting part of the Lower School experience. Students have the opportunity for before school recess as well as participating in morning and afternoon recess periods during a typical Lower School day. Not limited to beautiful fall and spring days, recess also includes winter fun, such as sledding on our mini playground hill and making snow structures.

  • Skating Party

    The Berwick Parent Community sponsors an annual skating party in late winter. The event takes place directly after school and is a great way for the entire Lower School–students, teachers, and parents–to gather and have fun as a community.

  • Winter Solstice Assembly

    Held on a Friday morning in mid-December, the Lower School assembly moves from the Rioux Room to the Theater to celebrate the Solstice Season. A variety of songs, movement, and dialog make up this festive performance, with family and faculty in supportive attendance.

  • Young Authors Day

    Held near the end of the school year, Young Authors Day highlights students’ writing, reading, and presentation skills. Mixed-grade groups of students and faculty meet to share written pieces the students have chosen for this special day. Families are invited to attend the group readings in which their children participate. After the group readings, the students each receive a copy of the BA Bell (the Lower School literary publication) at a Lower School ceremony.

Middle School Events & Activities

  • Overview

    In the Middle School, we recognize that collaborating with other community members and having fun are essential to learning, and we strive to make them a regular part of our students’ experiences. In addition to group work and engaging classroom activities, students also have the opportunity to explore new possibilities, take on leadership roles, and engage socially with their classmates and teachers. The sense of camaraderie and excitement is palpable when one enters the Middle School, and we are proud of our energy, enthusiasm, and community spirit.

  • Activity Periods

    Each trimester Middle School students choose from a wide range of extracurricular offerings during our weekly Activity Period. The choices can be artistic, focused on community engagement, or recreational in nature. Activity Periods offer students a unique opportunity to try something different and develop new interests. Recent offerings have included Wiffle ball, board games, bracelet making, boat making, karaoke, pottery, and Minecraft: Education Edition.

  • Blue and White Teams

    Each student is assigned to a Blue or White team for their time in the Middle School. Lighthearted and fun activities ranging from faculty trivia to capture the flag to Minute-to-Win-it challenges, allow teams to earn points. Scores are tallied throughout the year and, on the last day of school, the Bulldog Cup is awarded.

  • Extracurriculars

    Students have opportunities to participate in a number of fun activities that take place outside of school hours as well. Competitive robotics and math teams, a vibrant musical production, and after school enrichment programs are all popular among students. Additionally, eighth graders can run for elected positions as leaders of various committees including Academics, Innovation, Athletics, Arts, Spirit, Technology, and Community Service. Fifth, sixth, and seventh graders have the opportunity to serve on these committees as they move through their Middle School experience.

  • Field Trips

    The Middle School believes that teaching the whole child involves providing students the opportunity to get out of the classroom so they can explore their community and world in more context. Therefore, our students take part in off-campus field trips by grade level throughout the school year that foster community-building, community engagement, experiential learning, and support our academic programming and curricula. 

  • Heart of the Bulldog

    This special award is designed to recognize any community member who has gone above and beyond to make someone else’s experience more positive. Students and teachers may nominate someone, and awards are presented regularly at our Middle School assemblies.

  • Middle School Trips

    We offer two all-Middle School trips each year as a celebration of our community. In February, we all travel to Gunstock Mountain for a fun day of skiing, snowboarding, and tubing to kick off our winter long weekend. In late May, we travel as a school to Canobie Lake Amusement Park for a day of roller coasters, water rides, and carnival food. It’s a great culminating event for all students Grade 5-8!

  • Social Events

    Several times a year, the Middle School offers social events for different age groups. Our Grade 5-6 socials fall in the afternoon and take place at local activity spots like the Hilltop Fun Center and the Dover Bowling Alley. Our Grade 7-8 students have evening socials that include music and dancing, games, and pizza

  • Leadership

    The Middle School has a leadership council that is made up of six students who head each of the following areas: School Spirit and Pride, Communications, Academics, Community Service, Bulldogs for Justice, The Arts, and Athletics.

  • Spirit Weeks

    Our student leadership council works with our Grade 5-6 and Grade 7-8 Deans to organize spirit weeks which involve theme-based dress down days, Blue and White competitions, and special snacks. Recent spirit week highlights have included Sports Jersey Day, Decades Day (Grade 5-1950s, Grade 6-1960s, etc.), snow sculpture contests, and spirit awards.

Upper School Events & Activities

  • Overview

    In addition to a robust academic program, opportunities for leadership, exploration, and engagement outside of the classroom are all important aspects of the Upper School experience. Students are invited to engage in clubs, activities, and social events that occur both on and off campus. In addition to participation, students are encouraged to work in conjunction with the faculty to create vibrant experiences, expanding on and exploring a range of interests, and building a unique sense of community spirit.

  • Advisory Meetings

    Each Upper School student is assigned a faculty advisor who serves an important role in guiding and monitoring academic and social progress during a student’s four years. This advisor/advisee relationship is an integral part of the Berwick Academy Upper School experience. Students meet with their advisors to begin every Tuesday and Thursday morning, in addition to a longer session every third Monday. 

  • Assemblies

    Three days a week the Upper School begins with an all-division assembly led by four elected student Prefects where students make announcements, are informed about the day, have competitions, present and listen to What Matters To Me speeches, and watch performances from guests, teachers, and fellow students.

  • Class Trips

    Grades 9-10 in the fall, and Grade 11 in the spring, take an overnight trip to promote student bonding and teamwork, as well as allowing the students to learn about and explore in an outdoor environment.

  • Clubs

    Berwick offers over 40 student-run clubs, formal and informal, including Diversity, Activism and Art, Berwick Votes, Sandwich, Badminton, Investment, Robotics, The Vernacular: Literary Magazine, Sustainability, and Model United Nations.

  • Coffeehouses

    Throughout the school year, the Upper School hosts open mic nights in the bottom floor of Fogg where students, and occasionally faculty, are encouraged to share their artistic, musical, comedic, and/or theatrical talents in a casual and fun setting.

  • Community Days

    Two community days are set aside to allow the entire Upper School to pause and engage outside of the classroom. The first is a Service Day where students are divided into Advisory groups and perform service all around the Seacoast. The second is a Wellness Day on campus where students sign up for a variety of activities that promote taking care of oneself physically, socially, and emotionally.

  • Community Time

    Every day in the Upper School a block of time is dedicated to a variety of purposes including club meetings, academically engaged time, special assemblies, class meetings, advisor time, or free time with the community.

  • Spirit Weeks

    Week-long celebrations in advance of athletic competitions that include thematic dress-up days, fun class competitions, and class dances, once per trimester.

  • Woofstock

    At the end of every year we hold a celebration involving food, music, and activities. It is run by one or more twelfth graders and, weather permitting, it is held on Fogg Field. This is a much anticipated event that never fails to bring the whole community together.

Berwick Academy

31 Academy Street
South Berwick, Maine 03908

Contact:
Admission | 207.384.6300
Main Office | 207.384.2164
Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 520 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Postgraduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.

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