As the 2022-2023 school year comes to a close, we are full of gratitude for all the curiosity driven learning, the friends and connections we have made, and the adventures we have embarked on. Some adventures were in the classroom, on the playground, and around Portland while some were on the mountains in New Hampshire, rainforests of Costa Rica, or city streets of New York. Whether close to home or miles away, we thank all our students, teachers, families, and community members who played a part in the magic of this school and after school year. 

Take a look back on the school year with us as our students from Breakwater School and Enrichment Center and teachers share some of their favorite parts of the past nine months.

During late January, our 8th grade students embarked on an adventure of a lifetime to Costa Rica. This culminating international trip has been an 8th grade tradition for over ten years and was the first time the Breakwater trip took place since 2019. Through the Monteverde Institute, students adventured to the ocean, farms, and rainforest. Like all Breakwater overnight adventures, these experiences play a critical role in supporting hands-on immersive learning outside of the classroom. Enrollment Director, Moriah Perry, shares, “From my perspective, every student is out of their comfort zone at some point whether it's being away from parents, flying, being around so many other people, the food, hiking, zip-lining, bugs, etc. Every student faces those challenges head-on and with the help of their peers overcome them at some point during the trip.” Students return with stories of adventure, connection, and an eagerness to share all they have learned. 

Weekly trips off campus in K-8th grade allow for a deeper connection to our local community and immersive hands-on learning outside of the classroom. In Kindergarten, weekly trips to the woods (most often to Jessieland) have been coined Forest Friday. Established in 1997, Jessieland is a 21 acre nature preserve in Cumberland that was donated to Breakwater in memory of late Breakwater student, Jessie Bullens-Crewe, who loved exploring and playing outside. Over the past twenty plus years, Breakwater students, campers, and families have utilized this special place to play, explore, and connect. For Kindergarten students, teacher Katie O’Toole sees Jessieland as a wonderful place full of rich play experiences, connection, and immersive learning. Katie shares, “the goals of Forest Friday are to use the natural world and the child’s innate curiosity to foster a joyful interest in learning, growing, creating, and community.”

At Breakwater, we strive to make learning authentic. Information is presented in a meaningful context, is relevant to students’ interests, and has useful, real-world applications. This fall, 7th and 8th grade students have been learning about the overlap of economics and sustainability in their sustainability and environmental concerns interdisciplinary studies unit. During the second week of school, students took their first group bike ride making stops to engage with speakers from the University of Southern Maine and the Bicycle Coalition of Maine who helped introduce the class to topics of environmental justice. With the seed planted, so to speak, and students already making meaningful connections between sustainability and economics, 7/8 teachers Kelly Steinhagen and Jesse McDonough wanted to provide another avenue for students to make connections - through an adapted version of the classic board game Monopoly.

Now that spring has arrived, our older students can be seen exploring the city via bicycle both before and after school. Kelly Steinhagen’s and Jesse McDonough’s 8th grade class recently embarked on a bike trip through downtown Portland as part of their Global Human Rights unit. While biking through the city, they explored a variety of ways that people make their voices heard. The overarching goal: To find local experiences that help students consider issues in other parts of the world.

[From Executive Director, David Sullivan]

My endless gratitude goes out to our faculty, staff, parents, students, and community for their resiliency through a challenging year. Your hard work, dedication, and creativity helped us persevere during these ever changing times. Together we were still able to create Breakwater magic even if it may have looked and felt different than before. After watching our Look Back at 2020 video, I know the magic continued. I can see it through the joy of our students (even with masks!) whether they are with us for School, Summer at Breakwater, SchoolDay Care, or AfterCare.

"My kids were able to have something resembling a normal summer and that was awesome” - Summer at Breakwater 2020 parent

Summer at Breakwater 2020 would not have been possible without the dedication and creativity of our administration and teachers, the adaptability of our parents and caregivers, and the grit and positivity of our campers. We were able to offer ten weeks of safe and fun filled summer camp programming for over 170 campers! Thank you for joining us for an unforgettable summer - see you in 2021!

To see more photos from camp, hear more about what our parents had to say, or explore more of what Summer at Breakwater offers check out our summer camp webpage