The Suburbs Come to SLA

By Nomi Martin-Brouillett

Staff Writer

On Tuesday, December 4th, the members of Ms. Thompson’s advisory and a few members of Mrs. Siswick’s advisory congregated in SLA’s library at 8:15 in the morning to wait for our partner school Strath Haven to arrive.

Before Tuesday, I had no idea what to expect. Ms. Thompson, our advisor, had told us nothing except that they were a school from the suburbs and that we would be getting to know each other.

When they walked into the library, our whole advisory was a little wary of them. Some were seniors towering above us Sophomores. At first I didn’t see the point. How could us city kids connect with kids who went to a large high school in the suburb of Wallingford?

After playing a few ice breakers and taking the Strath Haven students on a tour of our school, we learned a few things about our partnership. It started last year, as a way to show how two schools could come together and overcome differences. Last year they did this by planning a community service even at Bartram’s Garden.

After learning more about what this program would be like, we got down to the matters at hand. We discussed the differences between Philadelphia and Wallingford, both economic and social. Not surprisingly, there were plenty of difference, both in our respective schools and communities. Philadelphia is a relatively lower income community compared to Wallingford, and as a result, our school district has less money than the school district Strath Haven belongs too.

Perhaps what we in Ms. Thompson’s advisory were so surprised by was the fact that they had quality lunches in their cafeteria with food that is appetizing. Our topics were centered around food and healthy eating, perhaps a foreshadowing of what this years community service event could be like.

All in all, it was a wonderful learning experience. As we ate pizza together and got to know each other more, we learned that in February, we will be visiting Strath Haven to learn more about their school. I don’t think I speak for myself when I saw we are all looking forward to it.