Educational Excellence Since 1912
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12

More Than an Adventure: Students are ‘Empowered’ through Team-Building Activities

With a brand new school year upon us, Upper School students got the chance to get out of their comfort zones and conquer new challenges through team-building exercises hosted by Empower Leadership and Adventures.
 
Organized by faculty member Charlie Alexander, students spent the day at the Beckerman Athletic Center playing with a purpose by finding new ways to work together with fellow classmates and push themselves to new levels of personal development.
 
One of the activities included a game called “Balance Transfer” where tennis balls were placed on a wood crate with ropes attached. Students picked up the ropes and coached each other through open dialogue to stabilize the crate and unload the tennis balls into a bucket.
 
Facilitators from Empower were hands-on and encouraged students to jump right in and tackle any challenge. They also encouraged them to have fun.
 
“Today is really about providing an uplifting outside-the-classroom experience for the students and challenging them to get out of their comfort zone,” said Dan Jaskot, President of Empower. “With the pandemic, students weren’t able to have the traditional connection with their classmates so this is about bringing the element of fun and sense of community while doing something cool.”
 
Following the team-building exercises, students were able to spend time either outside the building playing dodgeball or inside playing Jenga, kickball, or constructing penny boats. A pizza lunch was provided.
 
Speaking about the event, ninth graders Nyla Zundell and Emi Iwasaki said it was a fun way to spend the morning and the “not so serious” element of the activities made them feel no pressure to get it right on the first try.
 
Hamden Hall has partnered with Empower Leadership and Adventures for other community-building programs over the years. The organization takes the non-traditional approach to building team and individual empowerment by integrating leadership techniques with fun pop-up activities that help foster open communication, trust, and problem-solving skills.
Back

Hamden Hall Country Day School

About Us

Hamden Hall Country Day School is a nurturing and inclusive community with a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.