Film Fest 2023 – “Connection” is underway! Students started the morning with a brief overview of expectations for this collaborative project before moving into workshops in their grade-level groups. Workshop topics included: tech and lighting, tropes and roles, the film fest process, and groups and conflict. After this, students had the opportunity to choose groups (ideally with diverse personality types and leadership styles) to work in for this project.

Each year, film fest gives students a rich opportunity to grow their resilience in stressful situations. It’s a safe environment in which to experience this stress, with lots of teachers readily available to support students in their communication and regulation. This is my eighth experience with film fest at The Summit, and the student growth I’ve been able to witness is amazing. Several members of our current senior class are on their seventh film fest, and that was after viewing upper school films as fourth and fifth graders. The way they confidently navigated yesterday provides such evidence of the way students who choose to engage fully in this process with a growth mindset are able to walk away more confident, communicative individuals.

For more on resilience in adolescence, there are lots of articles that pop up in a quick Google search. I found this one helpful today.