{"id":676,"date":"2018-06-22T00:05:21","date_gmt":"2018-06-22T00:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/labschool\/?p=676"},"modified":"2018-06-25T18:00:44","modified_gmt":"2018-06-25T18:00:44","slug":"from-the-campus-school-to-college-lacrosse-2012-alums-remember-their-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/labschool\/2018\/06\/22\/from-the-campus-school-to-college-lacrosse-2012-alums-remember-their-roots\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Campus School to College Lacrosse, 2012 Alums Remember their Roots"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Sophia Schaefer ’12, Fiona Bundy \u201912, and Madison Fulcher-Melendy \u201912 (pictured above, left to right) met in the kindergarten wing of the Campus School, they had no idea that their friendship would carry into college. Learning to finger paint and tie their shoes, the girls became swift companions: racing each other on scooters in gym class; learning to serve a volleyball; dancing together, at their sixth grade talent show, to a hip hop song that hinted of adolescence. Now seniors at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, MA, the girls\u2019 bond holds strong. In a few months, each will begin their careers as collegiate lacrosse players, modeling leadership and excellence in a sport that has strengthened their identities as students, athletes, and friends.<\/p>\n

As their teammates ran laps around the turf of Sawyer Field, I met with this SCCS trio to talk about the past and future. \u201cWe\u2019re best friends outside of all of it,\u201d Fiona shared with a smile. \u201cWe\u2019ve had so many years together, and you can see it on the field. We always know where each other are, and there\u2019s a connection that\u2019s kind of indescribable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preparing to enter Bowdoin College as midfielders, Sophia and Fiona will stick together while Madison, also a midfielder, will venture to Williams in the fall. The girls, who began their lacrosse careers on a Northampton recreational team while attending the Campus School, now captain WNS varsity lacrosse\u2014a team that, under the guidance of Jen Fulcher (Middle School Head and a proud parent of Madison), ranks as one of the top prep school teams in New England, according to LaxPower<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of their Campus School days, the girls recall being \u201cso competitive and so into [gym class].\u201d \u201cWe all liked going to school,\u201d Sophia shared, to which Fiona added: \u201cWe loved to have that opportunity throughout the day to have fun and play sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three athletes cite Mr. Messinger, physical education teacher at SCCS, as having a formative influence on their careers. \u201cHe was always so supportive,\u201d they recalled. Madison emphasized, \u201cThe teachers [at the Campus School] really supported us as people. They wanted to be there and were really invested in our educational and personal growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in his thirty-third year at the Campus School, Scott Messinger remains an integral part of the Campus School community, offering unique perspective on the growth of alumni athletes.\u00a0 Sitting in his gymnasium office amidst hula-hoops and plastic lacrosse sticks, he spoke of the girls with pride, saying: \u201cAbove all, they were really good people. They showed compassion and empathy to everybody. There\u2019s a saying that \u2018small actions repeated overtime transforms people,\u2019 and they played all the time\u2026 always [found] joy in unstructured play. They didn\u2019t realize that they were practicing [important] skills, but that\u2019s what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nPictured: Scott Messinger readies his class for soccer drills.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, Scott frames Fiona, Madison, and Sophia as examples for young students: \u201cIn class, they practiced hard. They were competitive, but they were fair. They always honored the game and made it a good game for everybody. I use their story for kids who are here, because when they were here they didn\u2019t know this was going to happen. They showed signs\u2026 they each had their own style. Madison was more technical; Sophia was running people off of the ball, really tough; and Fiona was fast\u2026 she was a runner, and she still is. But who knew!\u201d<\/p>\n

One finds much resonance between these childhood stories and Jen Fulcher\u2019s current descriptions of the girls\u2019 skills: \u201cSophia is a talented offensive player and a terrific defender. She is great on ground balls\u2014a real leader there. Madison and Fiona are both extremely dangerous with the ball, but they also create options for other teammates on the field. They are all positive leaders who lead by example\u2026 They bring their best selves every day, as people and athletes, and everyone [who] comes in contact with them are better for it. They\u2019re humble and all about the team. They also have great senses of humor; they\u2019re fun and goofy.\u201d<\/p>\n

In reflecting on success, however, it is equally important to think about process. \u201cWhen they were here, we did a lot of direct skill work,\u201d Scott said of the physical education curriculum. \u201cThey had fundamental movement. These kids could move; they were agile; and their physical literacy was good. They didn\u2019t shy away from anything they couldn\u2019t do; if they made a mistake, they thought, \u2018I can do better than that.\u2019 We put those skills into small games\u2014thinking about what a skill is, how [one develops] a skill\u2014and they were very good at reading environments. All invasion games have similar basic concepts: football, hockey, soccer, lacrosse\u2026 have the same basic concepts: running behind people\u2019s backs, [learning] how to get open, how to pass, how to move forward, how to defend. The girls played so many different games that they had all of those [skills] in place. They could read the game and make quick decisions. It was time on task.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, Scott is researching the psychological side of sports, infusing into his curricular practices an emphasis on growth mindsets and healthful risk-taking\u2014skills that Sophia, Fiona, and Madison have exhibited in the face of unpredictability on the field:<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my focuses is mindsets and self-talk. I\u2019m researching brain development and mistakes with kids, how mistakes help your brain grow, and I piloted this program at the end of last year with sixth graders about how self-talk matters, trying to get them to understand that mistakes help them grow. I showed a quick video [to this year\u2019s sixth graders] on brain development and mistakes, and it showed the neurons\u2014how they light up, how you make connections, how myelination occurs. I have another video about fear, the amygdala, and how to overcome your fears; how, when you feel these feelings, you just have to dance with them\u2026 I want to get into peer-to-peer feedback, because it turns out, from the research that I\u2019ve seen, what the kids tell each other is more important than what anybody else tells them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second pillar of Scott\u2019s research reflects psychologist Lev Vygotsky\u2019s<\/a> concept of the \u201cZone of Proximal Development,\u201d or ZPD\u2014 the notion that learning is optimized when we are on the cusp of our abilities, using what we know to boost us into new territories and growth. In kid lingo, Scott translates this idea by encouraging students to work on \u201cthe edge of [their] capabilities.\u201d \u201cI do a line, a continuum of competency,\u201d he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s a beginner, and here\u2019s an expert, and everybody is on this line\u2014I don\u2019t care who you are, you\u2019re on it. The idea is that you want to move forward from wherever you are, so you have to find the edge of your comfort zone and capabilities and work there, and sometimes jump out of it. Sometimes jump back in, and stay there. But know where that edge is. I always say that whatever negative thing you\u2019re telling yourself in your head, you have to add the word yet\u2014\u2018Oh, I can\u2019t do this\u2026 yet<\/em>.\u2019 And the kids are starting to figure out that, chances are, if somebody is better than you at something, it\u2019s just because they have spent more time doing it. I want everybody to feel confident enough to stay physically active. I always tell them \u2018just say yes,\u2019 if somebody asks you to play, just say yes. These skills [help kids think about how] you deal with unpredictability. That\u2019s something that Fiona, Madison, and Sophia were great at. They were very flexible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Jen Fulcher spoke of the multifaceted responsibilities inherent in the student-athlete role, and Scott, too, considers the transference between athletics and academics. \u201cStudent comes first for a reason,\u201d Sophia said, thinking, herself, about growth in and outside of the classroom. \u201cIt\u2019s about striking a balance.\u201d \u201cThe biggest [part] of both [academics and athletics],\u201d Madison added, \u201cis striving to be your own best, regardless of the other team or the other people in your class. [It\u2019s about] constantly trying to better yourself, and I think that just translates so much into [one\u2019s] work ethic and how [one] prepare[s] for challenges. Whether it\u2019s a test or a game, there\u2019s just so much overlap in the way [a student-athlete] prepare[s] for things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vivid in these athletes\u2019 discussion was the outline of a Dweckian<\/a> growth mindset, an educational and psychological concept that is similarly undergirding community building at the Campus School (for more on growth mindsets, see our review of Rachel Simmons\u2019 book here<\/a>). In addition to videos on brain development, Scott shares a film with students that distills this idea into a fun metaphor: \u201cA guy is talking about a tiger in a zoo and a tiger in the jungle,\u201d Scott says. \u201cI tell students: Be a jungle tiger; don\u2019t be a zoo tiger. Jump out of your comfort zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the whistle blew at Williston and the girls\u2019 readied themselves for practice, they culminated their reflections on the Campus School by sharing gratitude for the past. \u201cIt\u2019s been a really special connection,\u201d Madison said of her SCCS peers. \u201cThe community at [SCCS] is so supportive. Everyone wants the best for you. It\u2019s hard to realize that until you can look back at it and realize that it was so instrumental in fostering growth.\u201d Similarly, Fiona shared: \u201cThe people who I was being surrounded with were amazing, and I would not have pushed myself as hard as I [have] in academics or sports if I had not met such great friends from such an early age, and we all just grew up in this great learning environment where we wanted to be our best.\u201d<\/p>\n

We at the Campus School can\u2019t wait to see where these jungle tigers go next!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Written by Brittany Collins<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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