Understanding Explorations

Yes, definitely guys. In the beginning take time to do your intro. We have enough time to hear soup, Donuts, OK, good luck. There's two seconds left.

Hello everyone and welcome to this evening's a discover elville information session about understanding explorations. I'm super excited simply because I'm a huge fan of exploration, so I'm eager to have all these people here tonight. Explain to you what explorations are and how you will be able to get involved. Hopefully in the future, and so a couple logistical things that I'd like to do.

Before we head into the UM, the the heart of this session. But can you? All of your participants throw in some you know into the chat just to let me know that you can hear me simply because I'm sure myself and these four individuals could have a great conversation, but it wouldn't be helpful if you all couldn't hear it. Oh good. OK, OK, great we are getting some goods, some good responses that you can hear is the next thing that I would love to do.

While we wait for people to to log in tonight, if you could just throw out where you're from, it would be awesome to know where people are logging in from tonight. I always kind of like to see who's the furthest and up Texas, Princeton, California, Nevada, Maryland, OK, Northern Virginia. I love it. Wow, very far Boston. OK well this is good. Oh India, you might be the furthest you might be. The furthest OK well great.

Thank you all so much for joining us tonight, so.

A couple quick reminders and a couple pieces from the agenda before we get started tonight. So again, welcome to understanding explorations as we're almost finished up our big discover elville online information series. For those of you that have attended a couple of the others, hi, it's me again, but I'm excited to be here. And So what we're going to do tonight is I'm going to introduce myself.

And all the panelists will go and I'm super excited for you all to hear about their Lawrenceville story. You know who they are, where they're from, why they chose Lawrenceville, and then the work that they do with explorations. I think that'll be super, super exciting, and I hope that you'll all walk away from here with feeling that much more connected to Lawrenceville so.

Cut two things we this evening. This session is all about exploration, so while I certainly do want to answer all your questions about how we do Harkness learning and what our athletic requirements like and how do we pick a house? Feel free at the end of this. If you have any questions like that, you can just email them directly to me 'cause I want our panelists here to spend their time answering questions about explorations and so.

Will do intros will dive right into the meat of our session tonight and then at the end we'll move into the Q&A, and so I've definitely pulled those questions that you all submitted during registration. And then if you have questions throughout the evening, please feel free to just throw them in the chat here. Well, we'll get to those. Hopefully at the end, and if not, I will dutifully reply to you directly via email. OK, So what we're going to do is I'm just going to go.

Right into my intro before handing it over and then hopefully I won't talk much for the rest of the night, so my name is Christine Ding. I am the director of Admissions, communications and then the associate director of admissions here at Lawrenceville. What do those two long winded titles mean? That just means part of my job. I get to interview students, read applications and help shape the next class of Laurentians, and then the other half is I get to run most of our programs.

That tell the story of Lawrenceville. So our tour guides are social media or communications. And then these super awesome online info sessions. So I love getting to tell my Lawrenceville story. And I'm super excited for you to hear the stories of our panelists. In addition to that, I Coach, Field hockey and lacrosse here at Lawrenceville. And then I also live in Kirby House, which this is one of my favorite things to do on a panel like this is to firmly state.

That Kirby House is the best house on campus and so I'm very proud that I get to live here.

And so I live here with my husband, our two little kids are dog and so we just obviously love living the Lawrenceville life. So that's me. And I'm going to hand it over to Miss Law for her to do her introduction and then hand it off to our panelists.

Hi everyone, my name is Nina Laubach, Mrs Laubach, I have a cool role here because first of all I'm a parent of a fourth former and I'm also the shorter half of a man and I have a faculty spouse who teaches in the science department.

But I help advise, three of which are right here. Come the students who run the Explorations Council, and you're going to learn all about explorations for sure. And it's with partnership with the religious life department with the multicultural office and with just with the whole student body. So I feel like I have one of the best jobs on campus.

I also teach yoga and mindfulness throughout the year.

We have several religious life leaders and one of them is a mindfulness leader and I'm that for the. For the past few years. So that is one of my leadership roles here, and I'm also a seminarian. I'm in seminary right now, working on my Masters of Divinity, so I am grateful to be among these three wonderful students that you'll hear from today.

Uhm, I'll pass it on to drew.

Awesome, thank you so much. I'm drew. Thank you everyone for coming. I'm currently a fifth former at Lawrenceville. I'm a prefect in the Kennedy House, which I personally believe is the best house on campus. At least the best in the circle, but I I I've loved my time here at Lawrenceville. I joined as a freshman and I've been involved with several clubs, one of them being the Religious Life Council, which hopefully I can talk a little bit about today and.

I'm also a prefect, and Kennedy, which means I'm able to, even though I'm a day student, which means I commute to school. I I really get to know a lot of the sophomores and juniors in Kennedy and kind of get to like advise them, get to know them and sort of lead them. And in terms of sports I play tennis, which is my main sport and I've also one of the cool things about Lawrenceville is that since sports are required, I had to sort of join a new sport my freshman year, but I tried out wrestling.

Which I ended up really liking. UM and.

Also, I'm a Hutchins scholar, which is a science scholars program at Lawrenceville, which I've really enjoyed doing, and they we sort of get to connect with doctors around the world and do some pretty cool internships and research. But yeah, that's a little bit about me. I can. I guess I can pass it on to Megan.

Hey guys I'm I'm Megan. I am from Hong Kong and same as Jew drove. I came here as a new freshman three years ago and I'm lucky enough to be able to be in the curvy house living with misting. Best house in the Crescent if you will and Dru kind of explained it. But I'm one of the two border seniors who live here in Kirby and so I get the opportunity to kind of bond and help out some sophomores and juniors giving them advice and just kind of guiding them through this like Lawrenceville in general.

And in addition to that I'm the Co prez of Exploration council and Religious Life Council, so I get to work with both Sophia and Drew. And for athletics I am the Co captain for the Girls Varsity crew team. But I am pretty tiny so I am the lead Coxon and I do not grow so yeah.

Hi, I'm Sophia. I am a former or a senior from New York City. I'm a border in the McPherson dorm, but before that I was in the Stevens House in the Crescent, which.

Unlike what these guys have been saying, that's actually the best house on campus, uhm?

My current sport is senior conditioning and some of the clubs and activities that I'm a part of. Besides the Explorations Council, obviously.

Uhm, would be the friends helping friends Club and then I'm also the editor in chief of the Lit, which is Lawrenceville's literary magazine.

Uhm, and that's me.

Fabulous guys, thank you so much for that. I'm hopeful of now that our listeners can really understand how unique each Laurentians journey and story is here. So one first thing that I wanted to do is kind of hop into some of the questions that we received that I personally felt kind of explained. In a nutshell, what explorations are so two questions? Are there any activities that allow students from different?

Origins to show their traditions.

Explorations are there any favorite classes, clubs or events that students say transform their thinking and help them grow in ways they never imagined in my opinion?

Explorations, and So what I'm going to do is hand it on over to our panelists. I think Megan is going to start for us and just explain what what our explorations. What is the expiration exploration program? And then from here, hopefully the conversation will snowball a little bit and explain the Explorations Council. It can also explain the Religious Life Council. Go for it.

Yeah, so hey guys, for those who just joined, I'm Megan and.

Explorations is an outside of classroom opportunity. I'd say to explore any culture or religion or spirituality that you'd like to, and so every Laurentian has to go to two explorations per term. And so these explorations range from Catholic mass on a Sunday morning to Buddhist meditation on 6:00 AM Wednesday morning to like African drumming with, like our history teacher, Mr. Hannibal. So it's really anything you can think of and kind of differing from like other schools like Chapel requirement.

I think one thing that really makes us stand out is that we have a wide variety of different things, and it's not only religious, but very spiritual as well, such as like yoga like ranging from a Catholic master yoga. So it's really anything that can help you kind of slow down in your day. Take a breath from this very fast pace school and kind of look inwards, reflect, reflect on yourself and kind of think about what really matters to you really. And kind of like going into what Explorations council is. Everyone can make their explorations.

So if you do come to Lawrenceville and there's a way you explore your spirituality that we don't have yet, you can fill out a form and will probably approve it. And you can share the way you explore your spirituality with basically everyone else on campus. And I think that's pretty cool.

Sophia drew of anything to add to that.

Uhm, well, one of the things about explorations, I think beyond just the cultural and spiritual as we've touched, is that as of late explorations have really expanded from beyond just kind of a religious sphere too.

Wellness fears and also education and discussion based areas. For example, I know there's a club relating to sustainability and the signs of sustainability that recently proposed in exporting regarding the ethics of climate change and those areas. So All in all explorations really allow for a student, which he will rounded and educated and exposed experience at Lawrenceville, which I think is very special.

Yeah, and I guess something I could add is how what I really like about explorations is. You can just get really creative with it. And like both Megan and Sophia explained, it's really expanded and I think.

Sorry I can you guys hear me.

Yeah.

Eurovent keep going.

OK, and I think over the past few years it really has expanded from, you know, really just religious opportunities to more cultural and spiritual opportunities that may not. You may not necessarily first think are religious and for example, one of the initiatives that up so. First of all, I'm also in the jazz band at Lawrenceville and I really like music, and I think I was talking to some of my friends who are also interested in music, and I think the.

The music and that jazz can really tie in really well too with explorations and spirituality. And also, you know, got jazz gospel and a lot of those fears of religion and spirituality. So in terms of students being able to propose ideas it it's kind of stuff like that where you can really just get creative, which is what I love about explorations.

Miss Lava, any two cents or anything.

I'll just add that.

We have a diversity of leaders here on campus and so we have religious life leaders from many, many traditions. I believe we have nine this year. We have Muslim, Jewish Buddhist and these are adults in our local community that participate and partner with the Community to help bring events to the school. So that's one piece I wanted to add in.

And then we're also we partner with pretty much every department here on campus. UM, everything from student council to the music department to.

Strong ties with the religious life department, which was kind of the founding and birth of what could a program look like that would not just bring religious life, but also address things like pace of life, Wellness well, being community, and all those things start to just organically, which I think is what's so beautiful about many of our events is that that organically just arises out of the programs that we decide to include.

So.

Fabulous thanks guys OK so.

I think that covers a little bit of what they are and and why we do them, and so I would love if each of you could go around and essentially say why you feel that these these matter in our community. Why do these programs and events matter to the Lawrenceville community and you and I think.

Yeah, so you this is a this is a question where you're telling your truth in that you just why you started to get involved when you started to get involved and why they matter to you.

I guess I could sort of kick it off. I think one thing I really like just in general about explorations and Religious Life Council is that I mean, you can just really get to know people. I think when I joined as a freshman and when you guys probably joined this freshmen were sort of like nervous and apprehensive and not really confident to like really get to know.

A broad range of people and get into like these deep discussions, but especially with the LC we we meet every other week and we have these really deep discussions. And when I joined as a freshman, I was sort of more of a listener. But after a few more meetings I sort of got more engaged and started to talk a little bit and it's I think it's just a great way to get to know the community. And one thing that is so special about Lawrenceville is how we get people from all over the world and coming from.

You know another school where you just have people from that area. It really opens your eyes and you can see all these diverse perspectives from people from all around the world and having deep discussions about explorations and about their religious traditions from where they come from, and their spiritual spirituality, I think, is just really special.

I know for me I personally love explorations because I find that they function in a way both of as an Oasis, a chance to step back from the rigor that warrants looking sometimes possess.

Come and take a moment to reflect, but.

They also sort of.

Bring in a bit of an adventure too.

A perfectly average day because a lot of what?

Exploration events do is expose 1 to experiences that they might not have been exposed to previously.

And I just think that the opportunities that we have with explorations to encounter what is new and unfamiliar, especially among those.

Who?

Are very familiar with those kind of certain events. I just think that's so special and it's.

Really incredible.

I'm going to interrupt and say Sofia also leads our Sunday morning Taoist nature walks, which includes it's a 45 minute. Would you say maybe an hour walk where they all meet at the lacrosse turf field and you'll walk in silence, but then Sophia comes with prepared readings that she'll stop mid ryfield walk on a misty Sunday morning.

To read either poetry or reflection. And it's perhaps one of our more popular explorations this term.

And so I just wanted to shout that out to Sophia. So it's been a really cool new explorations for us in the past year and a half.

No.

Well, it's kind of hard to follow that, but uhm.

I, as I said I come from Hong Kong and where I'm from we don't really talk about our religion and like there, really, it's really not that religiously diverse. So when I came to Lawrenceville and I tried to kind of get back in touch with my Christianity, I went to an RLC meeting with some friends and it was just so eye opening like around that small Harkness table. There were people that were there was some that was seek someone Jewish like someone Hindu and I just haven't met people like this before. And like more importantly, I've never had deep conversations with these people before and.

Have them be vulnerable in front of me and tell them how they feel about certain touchy topics and my perspective on them. And so that's how I kind of I got into the RL C and that kind of slowly branched onto the Explorations Council and similar to what Sophia said. I agree it's very much an adventure, a big part of exploration, I'd say is going out of your comfort zone to fully immerse yourself in them, because I mean you are experiencing someone elses religion and culture. And that's also what makes it so special.

Because there is really no other time in your life where you're going to be encouraged to explore other people's religious practices and spirituality and such a surrounding. Such a place that is so like, welcoming and accepting. And I think that these direct experiences that explorations offers also allows you to relate and understand with people on their perspectives and beliefs. In this kind of this helps you out later in life and in a smaller scale. It helps you out in the classroom, like during hardness discussions and history class or something like it makes it a lot easier.

For me to relate to a point that someone else says.

Yeah.

He

Yeah, and I just wanted to add one thing as well and going off of both what Megan and Sophia were saying when when you guys learn about Lawrenceville, you probably heard of the two terms house and Harkness, but I think explorations is really that third dimension at Lawrenceville. It really gives you what house and Harkness can't, and that's that spiritual sort of just exploratory. Just kind of opening yourself up to these this broad range of these broad ranges of opportunities and and.

Diverse saw and diverse people, and I think after these past few years at Lawrenceville and how the explorations opportunities have really expanded, I think it really has become that third dimension.

Fabulous and I think two jurors point. Let's can we talk a little bit about what the exploration program was and how we've essentially in your four years 3 1/2? At this point, how we've taken what it was and really transformed it into what it is today?

Well, this is a difficult one to speak on because right when we were kind of coming into Lawrenceville. That's when the exploration offerings were rapidly, rapidly changing.

But come from what I can dimly remember and from what I've heard, uh explorations used to the offerings themselves used to be a lot slimmer and far more focused on kind of specific religious experiences without the kind of.

Expansionary elements that explorations are now so known for on campus.

Alright, do you happen to have anything to add on this topic? Because you definitely know more than I do on this.

Thanks Sophia. Uhm I think if you really think of the transformation as a continual broadening and I've really felt even with the pandemic, we kept growing, and I think that just speaks to the students and kind of to the intention that doesn't rely on.

Or rather, it relied on community, but it didn't necessarily need us to be with each other. In that sense, we certainly missed it, but I think we've really adapted and.

I would say.

Explorations really grew from this idea that yes, maybe perhaps there should be some kind of spiritual religious component somewhere in your daily weekly schedule.

And that has just.

Been blown out of the water in the sense that it's only gotten more and to come and really you can deepen your own tradition or you can broaden your worldview of the traditions out there, so that's kind of how we view it that we are always trying to strengthen the programs that students are coming with. That many of you will be coming with your own traditions that you want to deepen in. And if this is your first time away from home sometimes.

Those traditions are what will keep you linked to your families. They will keep you linked to your traditions of origin, so that is one channel we hold very secret. But then there's this other channel where this is Lawrenceville and you're going to be exposed to new faces and new traditions and new music, and we want to also embrace that. But how can we do that in the structure of your week?

And so it started off as Chapel credit, and many people said that is just feeling exclusive like how can we get out of Chapel credit and turn it into something where people will feel welcome to explore their own traditions and explore something new. And so that's kind of the more philosophical way of looking at explorations. I thought it might be helpful misting if I just went through what like a typical.

Yes.

Yes.

Week of Explorations might sound like and it's kind of cool 'cause I just finished the 2 week calendar, which is crazy over how many explorations we have, but I'm going to try to go off the top of my head. Otherwise I have it next to me, but just today alone we had Sophie's Nature wack. We had a Catholic mass that people could go to. We had Advent Vespers which included our Dear Chaplain leading like a mindfulness.

Prayerful mindfulness with our phenomenal organist. Playing as like the background music. It was awesome.

Coming up, we have what matters to me and why with Doctor Friedlander, who is not only in the multicultural office, but he's also a teacher of religion, and these are some of our most well attended. Megan Sophia drove, you would say events and if you get to hear what matters to your teachers.

And like they tell you, kind of their bio and they get have questions asked to them. They tell them why it's their favorite book or like you know why they named their kid the name they did or just like you get to know people and that to me is just one of the things at the heart of explorations is getting to tell each other. Our stories. We have Buddhist meditation on Thursday morning we have yoga tomorrow.

Doc, Mr. August is working on a winter festival this coming weekend and that includes a candle lighting for some fund raising for a local.

I think it's for women space if I'm not mistaken and if you participate in.

And participate in that candle lighting. You'll get an exploration, so it's just really cool stuff. Uhm, what else? There's something else. I believe there is a sustainability event there are, so let's just one week. And so when we require we say you have to do 2A term.

That kind of is just a framework, but many, many students do much more than two a term UM, and so that's just like a typical offering menu from our week.

Fabulous and to follow that up I am going to throw into the chat. I just wanted to. I should have done this earlier but I just wanted to throw out where you can find explorations on our website and so all the information on there is basically the nuts and bolts of the conversation tonight and since since we just went through some of the.

You know examples of what we do offer. I would love all the panelists could go through and tell us what either what your favorite is favorite exploraciones or what exploration has meant the most to you thus far. So whoever would like to go first, that would be great.

I'd send.

Ah, sorry, now you can go ahead.

I'd say my favorite explorations are the what matters to me and why with faculties just because a lot of students only know their teachers and their coaches in a class or more athletic environment where there's so much more to the teacher and like his or her story or their family that like contributes so much to who they are and the way they kind of preach their philosophy and what matters to me and why is an excellent opportunity outlet for you to just pretty much know.

Everything deep there is to know about like these people who are so present in your life and all the exploration. I mean, although what matters to me and why is that we've had this term have had like excellent turnouts and like everyone comes up to like me. Sophie early drove afterwards, saying that like it was really eye opening and that they see their teacher in a whole other light now, which I think it's like it's a really good thing. And I'd say what I enjoy about exploration, just kind of like you can choose to have that small, intimate environment and.

Explorations, or you could also have like the explorations where like half the school attends like lessons and carols. Or like holy last spring and so you kind of get to choose what you want and get a good mix of two and drew do you want to talk about holy a bit more?

Oh sure, yeah, I think yeah, one of the great things by explorations is that religious people who are religious can really share out the festival that they celebrate so that people from all around the world can really learn about festivals that they haven't really experienced from where they come from. And as one of the presidents of the HSO, which is the Hindu student organization here at Lawrenceville, I've had the opportunity to lead the valley and holy which we've had amazing turn house to both of those we had the valley back in.

November where we had a brujah and we we also followed it with. You know, some sparklers, firecrackers and really and lighting candles and really just getting to know what this festival was all about. Which is just having fun and really communal experience when it starts to get cold and I think just being able to share that out as as a Hindu person is really amazing and I'm sure other.

People of other religions can also really enjoy sharing out their festivals as well. Now that Hanukkah is also around.

And Christmas.

I think my favorite exploration is also probably my favorite lawrencville event as well.

I really love lessons and carols. There's something about it that.

Just makes Lawrenceville feel so together and.

There is it just it kind of.

I I'm not sure exactly what it is. It might be the idea of everybody in the Chapel kind of lighting each person's candle and then kind of all like singing the other. As cheesy as that sounds.

It's just such a beautiful atmosphere and it really makes you appreciate the beauty of the people around you as well. And it's just such a special event to me.

Miss lock, are you going to give us yours?

Oh, I was actually. I was just thinking I'm gonna ask Miss Ding what her favorite is with Francie. Misting is famous for bringing her little one up to all these great events too and I think.

Why I pauses?

I think one of the great things about explorations is it's one of the few times that we have community wide community, wide celebration and community wide sharing faculty and their kids, staff and their spouses pre COVID. But so that is something unique and I think.

I guess my favorite explorations are the ones to come. Like I I, this group of us get to read some of the applications of ideas coming through and I would say.

I love sitting in the Chapel listening to music in that space.

There's been such a diversity of music, and that Chapel has been used for, and so I'm grateful for that.

I also am looking forward to.

Uhm?

We have we used to have one pre pandemic called lunch and dialogue and our students have been so creative as to how we can make this happen. In the past two years. So we've had Donuts in a tent outside. Or what was the senior one called Megan senior stories? Is that really?

Understories jicotea

Senior stories and we had hot chocolate out there one time and for a day of the dead we had like a sharing and language. And they made cookies so.

I just really love the diversity of the events.

Do you have a favorite misting?

Uhm so.

Yes, but I did want to just throw in there. I am obviously a huge fan of explorations, but oftentimes in interviews the students I'm interviewing ask why I chose Lawrenceville and for my husband and I, one of the big things was location or closer to my parents for child care, but also you know where, where in the world are you able to walk? Minutes? I can go to Catholic mass.

On Sundays, my husband can go to Buddhist meditation on Thursday mornings and it's kind of like where else in the world can you both. You know two members of one family have kind of check things off their list in terms of this is what my community provides me and so that's that's huge for us. But obviously my 3 1/2 year old daughter is a huge fan of devolli. I'm not gonna lie that it probably has a little bit to do with the sparklers in the fireworks at the end.

But she's also very into what happens and why you know, in the quiet and. And. But then I I'm with Sophia as well in that lessons and carols just has this.

Steadycam of justice magic and I think it has so much to do with it.

Coming right up to you know the it's right in the thick of the holiday season and so we have readings from multiple different religious groups. We have, you know, it's just. It's just an awesome time. So I really enjoy it, UM.

I'll just say I just even today I was walking out of Catholic mass and and as we were walking out Reverend Morrow and Mr Goldman, we're walking in and it was like this seamless transition of students going out after just like this beautiful service and then students going in. And I think it's just representation of how we start to view the Chapel that it is a multi multi purpose not to sound so clinical but like a multi use.

Peace and we've had everything there. From we we actually store the Torah there, but also, you know we have. Sometimes we have yoga in there because just like the ultra space is so beautiful to be in there and so that's just one thing I've been thinking too is.

Yes, we have. We can have community anywhere on campus, but I think a lot of it flows out of that kind of communal sacred space of the Chapel, but also Bunn. Library man has many good explorations as well.

And so ten points from Islam back because we definitely had the question of where do you do all these religious events if you only have a Chapel, so 10 points to you for answering a question you didn't know, it was a question. So just to reiterate, the Chapel is basically home to everyone, so anyone that's having an event of any religious tradition is able to use that space, which I think.

Yes.

And uh, and I'll say to like our friends of Christian athletes, they meet in the Fieldhouse, and we've met in, I think one of the groups meets in the theater. So we we definitely use up the spaces. We have yoga in the music building so we're all over.

So the next question I have is actually from someone that's here tonight and they ask how is the proven program? How is the program woven into the curriculum, and how often is it presented so to this? Also, please answer how do you inform people of all these amazing offerings that we have?

Well, one of the ways I think that we really see the importance of cultural and religious education woven into the Lawrenceville curriculum is the fact that, uhm, I think it's.

One, maybe three religion courses. Maybe it's two religion courses. I forget the exact number, but OK. Yeah, there are two religion course requirements in order to graduate, which I do really. I really think it speaks to Lawrenceville's dedication to building that spiritual understanding and awareness.

And it also kind of will encourage people to become more involved. Anything in the exploration community. I know that my sophomore year I I'm Jewish. I went to a Jewish school and I hadn't been very exposed to many other religions.

But my sophomore year I took a class on Buddhism and I really, really loved it.

And that kind of prompted me to want to kind of dive deeper and delve more into Buddhist philosophy and the values and the kind of the teachings of Buddhism. And that's also what led me to kind of starting the Taoist walk. And so I think that explorations offer students a chance to build on this knowledge that they gain from the Lawrenceville curriculum and really take their curiosity too.

Kind of like an entirely different and deeper place.

Yeah, kind of adding on to what Sophia said. We're in the classroom all the time and we like, read and learn about all these like traditions and cultures and religion and stuff like that. But like all like we like read textbooks. We watch videos and we have Harkness discussions about it. And while that is great, explorations is kind of like the direct experience that you can't get in the classroom. And so I can read about holy all I want and humanities cultural studies, but then it really is.

Something different, experiencing it for his hand, then talking about it because you kind of put yourself in another person's place and you really understand where this culture is coming from and how how it's important to the religion itself. And China answer the second part of that question, we.

This.

We promoted through like email I guess, just like the usual means, but I think at this point there are certain explorations that everyone knows is happening all the time, like it's a known thing across campus at Catholic mass is in the Chapel every Sunday afternoon. Like everyone just kind of knows that. And like there's Buddhist meditation every like morning every one Thursday Thursday morning. But then there's also like events now that we're like doing more explorations with other clubs. Like for the senior stories, it was.

A one time thing and like lessons and carols. It was a one time thing and coming up in the winter, we're actually doing explorations with the UM artists and resident. His name is Mr Robertson and so he's going to like show us his art and tell us how his spirituality has affected his artwork in his creativity and so stuff like that is kind of one time events. And we do try to promote those more through like school, meeting and other platforms. But generally speaking, Mrs Lilleberg does an amazing job of making a list of all the explorations every week.

And sending it in an email. So there is really no way of missing any of them.

This year, we've also been partnering more with student activities, and so now it's in the House letter, which means every student gets it twice gets the list twice, so no excuse.

Fabulous.

So.

To everything in life, oftentimes there's a couple challenges, so one of the questions that was submitted with the registration was what was one of your most challenging explorations, experience, and so that can mean many things. So it's I guess up for interpretation. So actually like.

There was an issue or just what was something that was so in how. I loosely interpret that you know so different from what you've you know, or so out of your comfort zone, or it just so.

Deeply enriching that you were kind of taken aback.

Anyone has? That's kind of a bigger question, so you might need a second to think, but whoever is ready can just go ahead.

Uhm, I think I mean, I think Megan can really attest to this as well, but in our Religious Life Council meetings we have some really really deep discussions, and sometimes those can be a little too deep. And you know, people. People sometimes shed tears or share some really personal stories and experiences, and those that when I first joined Lawrenceville and one of the first meetings that I joined was actually after Kobe Bryant died.

And we were talking about loss and people were sharing their own experiences of how they used religion and to cope with loss and spirituality to cope with loss. And it was. It was a really difficult topic and there were moments of silence as well. But I think you know it really brought us together and it really allowed us to sort of learn about how people are able to deal with those, you know, tough experiences. And yeah, I mean, that's just.

Sort of the first thing that came to mind and it was. It was one of the first religious life Council meetings that I had joined and it honestly, even though the topic was so difficult, it's what made me really love the religious Life Council and those explorations offered opportunities even more because people could get so so deep and so personal and just really open themselves up in those discussions.

I think 1 voice that's present here, but it's not here with us is Reverend Morrow, who is the school chaplain and I just thought this might be a good chance right now to just kind of explain how we have a school chaplain and her office is what really houses so much of the energy behind explorations. She partners a lot again with the multicultural and some of the more contemplative work and the Wellness, and we work out of the Health Office as well with the.

Wellness office and so there's a lot of partnering going on, but I think the reason why this particular question made me think of Rev Morrow is that she holds a really good space for things to be hard and being at a boarding school is hard and being away from home can be hard. And then add on to that.

All of the stuff that we bring in and all the things that we study and I really feel like even at the most challenging, that is the space that we try to hold and maintain.

For me the most challenging sometimes is I've had a couple of yoga classes where one student has shown up and it is really awkward for about 5 seconds and.

It's actually Rev who has taught me to say. Would you like to share this time together or do you think you'd like to return when there are more people and and I have not had a student say they'd prefer to come back.

Yeah.

And I've taught the class and I think we really function out of that person meant to be there like they wanted to come and they wanted to explore. And so this has been some of my best conversations. That said, we've also had yoga classes with 60 and I will not say that those are not also challenging because you're stuffed into the music building, probably breaking all kinds of fire codes. Sorry, I hope this is not recorded.

But oh, it is OK. Well, welcome to exploration.

Has anyone else had a, uh, expiration or moment that they found it to be the most challenging?

Well, I'm not sure if an entirely.

I would say one exploration that kind of challenge me in a way was a very unplanned one. Uhm, I intended to show up to actually in Explorations Council meeting.

But come in front of the building where we were supposed to be. Having our meeting was the African drumming exploration and I remember I went in. I sat in the building and we hear it was me and another member of the Explorations Council. We heard drumming outside. We went to check it out and there was this law back and Megan and just everyone was there because they had kind of gotten sucked into the exploration and so we joined as well and.

One of the reasons why that.

In a way kind of felt like a challenge me was I mean to begin with I had never tried African drumming before it and it kind of forced me to abandon some reserve and just sort of go along with that rhythm that we were creating, because there's no kind of.

Obvious way too.

Proceed you kind of just make it up as you go along, and I think it was definitely a very communal moment where you're paying attention to the queues of those around you. Even when you kind of mess up, people will pick up where you were and I think in a way it was an experience where I had to trust those around me and I had to also trust that.

I could mess up or how to fall out of line and it wouldn't be any kind of catastrophe or embarrassment, and it ended up being so much fun.

That's awesome, wonderful. OK? So we are actually getting down to the wire here. Guys. You about 13 minutes so.

One last question that has a bit to do with explorations. Before I make you all answer, just some standard Lawrenceville questions for me. But how do you guys prioritize your activities, your sports, your clubs? UM, these leadership positions on the Exploration Council, the Religious Life Council and and also manage to enjoy explorations for yourself. How do you do that? Balance where you're figuring out how to kind of make them happen.

But then also take in what you're trying to give to others.

Well, I'm gonna start off by saying that by like leading and organizing explorations, I've learned that like every little thing like so much effort goes into it, even even like the smallest thing like a poster like there, you have to get like the materials you have to get people to do it. It's ever like if you do come to Lawrenceville, like, really, try to appreciate the small things. 'cause a lot of effort does go into everything, but I'd say that.

I'm able to really enjoy and experience a lot of explorations is because what we do is that we basically contact people and.

Create a space and get the attendant. But what really happens at most of these explorations is that other people talk or other people teach us something that we don't know, so it's ultimately not me leading, and so it's something I don't know, and so I learn something new every time, like I think we've talked about the senior stories thing a lot, but we haven't really explained it, but senior stories is a thing organized by student council. I don't know if you guys went to that web and R thingy, but it's I think it's once once a month.

Or something that there's a topic and they get seniors to kind of talk about it to like. Share their wisdom and so the one that was made in explorations was coming out to a senior stories. So we had like seven or eight seniors who came out or was coming out. Talk about their experiences and I remember in in the Q&A session I asked them like how has their religion played a role in their coming out story and it was very interesting because there are people who were talking.

Are part of the Religious Life Council and like some people were saying how religion was very helpful because it.

It like made them think that there was always someone that was going to love them but someone else was like, oh like religion was not helpful because it told me I had to be this way and I couldn't be this way. So God couldn't love me. So like just an example like it's all these people experiences that make and exploration. So there's always something to learn.

Yeah, I think the way I see it is that I mean, even though we are all leaders and we all have this like a lot of busy work and just stuff to do in terms of leading these explorations and the Religious Life Council, I think I don't really see it. Much like I don't really see it as an obligation. It really is just sort of all these exploration opportunities are there. They're meant to be an escape from the day so you know you have your school day. You have sports and then it's something that you really look forward to and everyone who joins those meetings and those explorations.

Uhm, they all say that like it sort of is just a way to escape from the day. It's like a peaceful opportunity. So I think as much work as it is, it's something that I I truly genuinely enjoy doing. And I mean I don't really see it as an obligation.

Also, in terms of kind of managing all the different roles that we take on as members of the Lawrenceville community, I think that.

One kind of position tends to build on the other.

Uhm, for example, I'm also a member of the Wellness Council and I know that the Wellness Council is trying to also partner with the Explorations Council to figure out different kind of Wellness exploration opportunities.

So even though every kind of commitment is something that you really have to dedicate time towards, they all sort of. They have a tendency that weave together and.

Really, create something that.

I don't know, I know I I can speak for myself and I'm sure I can speak to everyone here but it.

Creates a really special experience with many different aspects of sets.

Fabulous, that's great, so I do want to get to some more of the questions that are being thrown here into the chat so we could do this in a little rapid fire just so we can get through some of the nuts and bolts at the end. So what would you say is your most popular Wellness themed exploration?

I'm gonna speak from the yoga teacher.

And we do have we. Usually we have a 22 classes strong and that harsh, well attended for yoga and or mindfulness. We have a great teacher this term she teaches in Princeton and here and she's just been awesome for our community and and that usually Wellness wise and kind of just finding stillness in your day. That's kind of our regular one. But again, you know Sophie's walks or Mr Jordan.

Buddhist meditation.

It's kind of fun to see explorations. The attendance kind of waxes and wanes with the rhythm of the school, but I will say it never. It's never the extremes there is this like core group of students who just feel it. They just know they have to go. Whether it's a busy time of the year or a really a slower time of the year so.

Have you guys another question? I play tabla Indian hand drums. Would I be able to continue doing that in explorations and introduce that to other students?

That's actually so cool my. So I used to sing Indian classical music and my brother played the tableau, but I think I mean, yeah, you definitely could like. Like we mentioned before, explorations can definitely be student LED, and that's something that you can definitely bring to the table and offer as your own sort of explorations. If you want to share that with other Laurentians. But know that, that's awesome.

Uhm, so here's that. Here's a trickier one. Do you as students who attend Lawrenceville think that the school gave you enough room to take risks safely? Or perhaps too much or too little?

I know for me personally, one of the reasons why looking back as a senior, one of the reasons why I'm so happy that I.

Gone to Lawrenceville is because I feel that this community has stretched me so much.

Uhm, in a way, at times it really does feel that all I do is take risks here, but at the same time I am so supported and.

Just so believed in in a way that it never feels like a.

Risk that wasn't worth taking, uhm?

I absolutely think that Lawrenceville gives you room too.

Make decisions that you might be a little bit scared about making.

Fear like recently, especially now that it's senior year. I've been kind of applying my explorations mindset that, like Lawrence, will create opportunities for you that you don't get like later in life at all. So like other stuff, and like I started like acting for Winterfest, which I never thought I'd do, I like join the acapella group. I'm just really trying all sorts of new things on campus and like you really do meet people that you wouldn't really meet in your immediate friend group, and it's great.

Awesome, OK, so so if you dance around this a little bit, but if you could talk to yourself from three or four years ago as you were embarking on your Barnesville journey, what is?

A tiny or gigantic piece of advice that you would give yourself.

To really try to get to know each person in your grade or just in Lawrenceville in general, like I I came as a new freshman. So obviously I had the bowl. And like all these opportunities to make friends. But as like the new sophomores in New Juniors came, I found it really easy to just stick to my friends. Just 'cause I'm so comfortable with them and not reach out. But like now that I like have so many electives of new people. And like all these other extracurricular activities like these, every single person in Lawrenceville, I guarantee you is worth getting to know.

Everyone has their own story, their own perspectives, and like it's not only cool getting to know their story and their experiences, but what they tell. You can also help you shape your perspective and who you are as a person. And I think these relationships who built in Lawrenceville can really last a lifetime and can't be found anywhere else.

Yeah, I think really going off of that. And like when you meet more people and get to know others, that also really shapes like the clubs and like new opportunities that you seek at Lawrenceville. Like for example when I like the reason I joined Religious Law Council, first place was because I was getting to know my freshman prefect Jonathan D'souza. I don't know if you guys remember him really well and he was wonderful leaders of the of the Religious Life Council and he was telling me about it and.

Really got me interested in it, so I think you know creating that connection with him, sort of connected me with some of the things that he was doing and he was also a wrestler and then I joined wrestling. So just getting to know people really allows you to also explore things that you may not have thought you would have explored. So I guess that's really going off of what Megan was saying and something that I'll probably tell my freshman self.

Uhm, I think kind of varying off from getting to know other people in a way. It's sort of getting to know yourself and not doubting yourself. That's probably what I would tell my freshman yourself to kind of.

Trust.

Myself a little bit more because I think that coming to Lawrenceville can be an extremely intimidating transition because you are sort of split off from the community. That sort of shaped you and you're around people who are just extremely intelligent and they look like they really have it all together in a way, and so that can definitely make a new student.

Sort of wonder how they fit in to this sort of early, full seeming community.

And I would say that what I have learned.

Is that you have to trust that you.

Can make a place for yourself in Lawrenceville community. It's not necessarily going to be a little slot that you just fill, but if you put yourself out there, and if you trust that if you put yourself out there and good things will happen, at least most of the time, and you can find a very special experience.

That would probably be it.

Fabulous well I'm a huge thank you to our panelists tonight. You guys knocked it out of the park. I think I think that everyone will leave here tonight. Truly understanding explorations and all that, we're able to offer here at Lawrenceville. So a big round of applause for our four panelists. So a little housekeeping items for all of our friends here on the call. So two more. Discover Elbow info sessions.

On Wednesday and then our final two a week from today, we are inching towards that January 15th deadline. So for our admissions and for our scholarship aid applications, those are on January 15th, our three student panelists here are probably like cringing at the idea of deadlines, since they are all in the thick of the college application process. But for all of you applying to Lawrenceville. Just remember, January 15th is right around the corner.

And uhm.

If you all have any follow up questions for any of our panelists, please feel free to just send those to me via email. I'll put my email address right into the chat right now so that correctly and you could forward the questions to me and I will certainly get them onto the panelists. But thank you all for joining us. Huge thanks to our panelists and everyone have a great start to your week. I hope you all feel a little bit enlightened from this session tonight.

And go into your week at much stronger. So have a great rest of your evening or your morning from wherever you're calling in. And as always, go big red.

Go big red.

Thank you guys, good luck.

Hey why?

Do we go?

Looks like I think you're muted.

I just want to say you guys are wonderful. I don't. I don't care if 18 other participants won't be listening.

I just want to say you were all the jest, right? Voice to share this and I know that sometimes.

We might not get all the visibility that we want, but it's.

I think in this group we know what matters and why.

Anyone?

Uhm, so good luck this week. I know it's hard to push through this Turkey term time, you can do it.

Oh, this is like the good place. Should we meet sometime before it Turkey term ends.

I think that might be a smart. We have a couple things coming up in January. I know you're working with that thing with Mr Robertson, which is great.

So.

I should I touch base with the Wellness Council, but more, maybe help with the application.

Yeah, and help with the application would be great.

I'll see if I can get that in before our meeting.

Let's go now.

I think what I'm seeing a little bit like I've had a lot of ideas like emails come in and say hey we want to do this and then I send the application out and then they just. I think people just get busy and they forget or I've had it even with someone like they sent the application I reviewed it Rev and I were like thumbs up please revise it. This way we send it back and then they just don't do that final step so.

Let's think about how we can promote that a little bit more, but I think there was going to be an ex Blow's meeting.

Right, Megan so?

My.

Yes, yes, I actually talked to drew about this. We're going to we talk about it tomorrow during console. Oh, shoot.

Oh yeah, for sure, no. Yeah, I really wanted to do that. I mean last week I think we would have just been to like last minute.

Yeah, I completely forgot wait I.

I'm going to be late to that tomorrow, 'cause I have to get my form signed to change classes.

But

Yeah, that's fine.

I'm going to kick us off in case.

I love you guys, but we probably shouldn't be talking on the high people that are come to Lawrenceville.

yeah.

I don't.

But let's talk about it at our next, but I'm Megan. Let's get something on the calendar. Even just to zoom, maybe, UM, or I'd prefer in person. But if we can't, let's just try to do 1.

Yeah, I don't know if I.

The speaker next week.

This week

Up to whatever, let's try it this week.

OK.

Yeah, and even just to talk about speeding in, you know, a brief form.

Yeah.

OK.

That's right by.

You guys are wonderful. Thank you for all your beautiful thoughts.

I don't really know how to get off of this.

I know.

You

Yeah, I mean it. That's why I'm still here.

Yeah.

I think I'll just close the tab.

Alright.

I.

Hi everyone.

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