Each fall, the class trip to Camp Merrowvista launches the ninth grade leadership experience. It allows students to step away from campus for a weekend as they explore and reflect on what it means to be a leader while giving intentional thought to their hopes and goals for the year and how they can impact the school community.

Merrowvista is set on a picturesque lake near the Ossipee Mountains in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire. The trip takes place on the first weekend of the school year and is led by Wellness Department Chair Heidi Qua and Ninth Grade Dean Joe Buteau. It combines leadership-building activities with time to reflect and bond as a class. “We have a core group of activities that we ask the staff to do with our students every year because we have come to appreciate the conversations that come afterward,” says Heidi. One of her favorites is the leadership compass, where students explore different leadership styles and the attributes that best describe their strengths as a leader. Students organize themselves according to where they think they fit best on the compass. North represents action and assertiveness; South is characterized by empathy and values-driven decision-making; East is the visionary who is creative and sees the big picture; and West is more analytical and cautious. Students discuss the pros and cons of each leadership style, recognizing that each one is valuable and necessary. Heidi notes that this is an idea that they bring back to Fay and reference throughout the year. “Leaders aren’t just the students elected into roles. We want students to understand that there are many different ways that they can demonstrate leadership on campus.”

Students engage in team-building activities like “the muse,” where they are given a set of 15-20 blocks and two-by-fours of different lengths. They must get their group from one side of the space to the other using only the blocks and wood. The Merrowvista staff guides each activity to ensure that all the students - not just those who are most assertive - contribute. In addition to the group activities, students tackle low and high ropes courses and a group hike where the climbers are rewarded with a beautiful vista. “All the activities are intended to be hard, and often they have to stop and reset and scaffold in different skills and ideas to accomplish the goal,” says Heidi. The Merrowvista experience asks students to reflect on their leadership skills but also to recognize the skills of those around them. At each meal, students recognized for leadership in an activity awarded a medallion to someone else in their group who worked hard and demonstrated leadership that day. “I appreciated how intentional and thoughtful the students were in their choices and sharing why they chose that person,” says Heidi. “You could tell they put a lot of effort into it.”

On Saturday night, the group ended the experience with a closing fire where students enter the space silently, and torches are lit, representing Fay’s core values and the school year theme. Each student was asked to write down their intention for the coming school year on a piece of paper, and they were given the option to share it with the assembled class. “It was awesome because we got to hear from some of the students that we might not normally hear from,” says Heidi. One student shared that their goal was to be more visible in the community this year, while another intended to be true to themselves rather than following others. The ninth graders return to campus ready to assume their roles as leaders within the student body and with the self-knowledge to make their mark on the school community.