At Brooklyn Collaborative, we begin every year with two All Crew days. These days give students a chance to connect or re-connect, and develop community within their crew before the start of academic classes. For 6th and 9th graders, this is also a chance to tour the school, become familiar with school policies, and adjust to this next stage of schooling. Check out some photos below!
What is Crew?
In the EL Education model, the tradition of Crew is both a spirit and a structure. The term “crew” comes from the words of Kurt Hahn, whose work in education inspired the EL Education motto “We are crew, not passengers.” The spirit of crew impels all members of a school community to work together as a team, to pitch in, to help others. We are all getting up the mountain together—individual success is not enough. The structure of Crew—daily meetings to support everyone’s learning and growth—makes time for students to build meaningful relationships with peers and their Crew leader, to reflect on and monitor academic progress, and to focus on character development. Crew is also an engine for equity and inclusion, a place where all students feel they belong and can succeed. Crew leaders strategically plan Crew meetings to address and assess these multiple goals.
