Students, parents and staff gathered at Dialogue Night on Nov. 7 to discuss how student-parent and peer relationship dynamics affect school culture at Northwood.
Thrive advisor Marina Alburger and Challenge Success coordinator Megan Stuart, who led the event, highlighted various topics surrounding the unhealthy dialogues that contribute to Northwood’s competitive culture.
Thrive board members participated in skits to portray everyday family and peer conversations that have underlying harmful meanings, to which students and parents had opportunities to share their perspectives and ask questions.
“The experience was interesting because the skits were realistic but funny,” freshman Anderson Lay said. “It had to be my favorite part of the night, and it was a good experience because people were able to express their ideas about the topics.”
The goal of hosting Dialogue Night was to foster empathy among all members of the Northwood community and promote positive relationships that will motivate students to enjoy school and learning.
“It was helpful for both sides to understand one another,” senior Skylar Leung said. “It was a heartwarming experience that made me grateful for our Northwood community of staff, parents, teachers and students.”
Dialogue Night additionally presented statistics from a Challenge Success survey that students took during Advisement in Spring 2022. These statistics showed that although students spend less time on homework, spend more time with family and friends and sleep more, they still struggle with focusing in class and remaining interested in their learning.
“A lot of the time, pressure is coming from parents and this translates into student conversations,” Thrive vice president junior Sophia Yang said. “By creating more encouraging and supportive relationships at home, it can help students focus more on doing their best rather than always worrying about grades and how they do compared to others.”
Thrive is continuing to cultivate belonging through activites like “I-wish-my-teachers-knew” and additional opportunities to make Dialogue Night an annual event to advance their mission of improving school culture at Northwood.
“I liked being able to give advice to the parents who were way too worried and I enjoyed talking to them about their experiences,” Leung said. “I think I realize how much parents are scared, and I appreciate how much effort they are willing to put in for their kids to succeed.”
