Verita Insights Magazine VIS magazine final | Page 23

SECONDARY CULTURE
BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS
Our secondary culture is people, not labels
The foundation of our secondary school culture is
built on relationships. It means getting to know
students beyond the common labels of grades
and assessments. It’s getting to know them as
unique individual human beings. We believe that
our focus on building meaningful relationships
with our teenage students is what sets us apart
from other secondary school cultures. With
relationships being the core of our culture, we
make efforts to get to know students beyond the
classroom. For instance, our secondary students
went on an overnight camp trip to Alba, Iulia,
where they were able to bond with their peers as
well as teachers. This invaluable trip allowed us
as teachers to truly get to know each student
without the common stressors of a classroom
setting. In turn, the relationships we had with our
students became more meaningful, supportive
and authentic.
In addition to the memorable camp trip,
some of our teachers go beyond by
organising weekend outings for the students.
These camp trips often generate a lot of
interests among the students as they are able
to interact with their peers and teachers
without being preoccupied with grades,
assessments and classwork. These teachers
are also able to see a different side to their
students. The different side of these students
is often their truest and most vulnerable
state. In turn, teachers are able to get to know
them on a more personal level. All of these
events and interactions serve to uphold our
secondary culture’s relentless pursuit of
building positive relationships.
Article by Rico Chow
Principal of Secondary
VERITA INSIGHTS  |  23