When anyone walks through the halls at HSA Belmont, they are immediately greeted by a sense of togetherness that trickles down from the high school to the elementary school campus.
That feeling was on full display on Nov. 20 when both schools hosted a joint Thanksgiving dinner event that drew in over 350 people. Teachers and staff members donned aprons as they passed out servings of turkey, pie and mashed potatoes to HSA families. Most importantly, everyone a part of each school’s community had a chance to be together as one unit.
“It’s really nice to be able to bring the two schools together,” said HSA Belmont Elementary’s Assistant Principal of Academic Operations Martina Brkljacic. “The idea behind this is that our elementary school families can see what we’re like here. Even if you have kids who are in kindergarten or first grade, you might not see this school until fifth or sixth grade.
“This is a really great opportunity for them.”
Throughout the night, attendees ventured from gymnasium featuring a photo booth (one of the most popular parts of the event) to HSA’s massive art room where Thanksgiving related coloring and drawing took place to a room dedicated to Bingo. Families also had a chance to win a raffle that contained STEM-themed board games.
The event gave everyone the opportunity to break out of their school routine and connect on a deeper level.
“It’s important (to have events like this) because most of the time when we meet with our families, it’s for academic reasons,” said HSA music teacher Nick Petersen. “For these (events), this is a chance where we can see each other outside of our nine to five. We get to learn more about them and they get to learn more about us outside of class as well.”
Brkljacic knows that building a strong community is imperative for a school’s success and believes events like this one can bring people together. When she was working at Chicago Math and Science Academy one summer, Brkljacic recalled seeing a distressed parent with their child in the parking lot. The school was closed but the parent, who was dealing with some personal troubles, instinctually went to CMSA because they viewed it as the best place to turn to for their situation.
That’s the culture Brkljacic wants to continue to build at HSA Belmont.
“If families can view this place as their second home or a place they can turn to, that is the ultimate goal,” said Brkljacic. “I hope we can bring that sense of community and family bond here. Belmont already has it but if we can give that to the kids from kindergarten through 12th grade, I would say we are doing a good job.”
Based on the reactions from parents throughout the night, it’s safe to say that Belmont has already cultivated the top-to-down sense of community Brkljacic values.
“Oh yeah this has been great,” said HSA parent Genesis Lopez. “My daughter actually has a cousin who goes to the high school and now she’s like, ‘oh I want to be a big kid now.’ Her cousin teaches her what they learned in high school. The older generation teaches the younger generation and I love it. We love it here.”