Feature 2: Mini Schoolers

Maybe you have noticed smaller versions of ninth graders walking around the school and causing mayhem. These hobbits are this year’s sixth graders. In the sixth grade, there are 26 students. Fourteen of them, or 53 percent, have siblings at school. Having a sibling at the school can certainly make getting familiar with it easier. For the other sixth graders, adapting to the Seabury environment could be more challenging without a sibling to guide them, but this year’s sixth graders do not seem to have a problem with that at all.

At most large public schools, having a sibling at school might not be as advantageous as it is at Seabury due to the sense of community and closeness that this school has. At a public school, having a sibling can be helpful in a way, but there are so many kids that people could go their whole school year without knowing that two people are siblings.

The sixth graders that have siblings seem to all appreciate the aspect of being able to seek help and advice from their siblings, and the ones without wish they had a sibling for this reason. Sixth grader Eliza Brockhoff, the sister of ninth grader Marie Brockhoff, says, “Having Marie here definitely gave me more of an idea on what to expect. Some things, like the uniform, you can show them and ask them if it's okay [to wear].”

Sixth grader Edward Roman-Nose, sibling of seventh grader Emma Roman Nose, says, “If a sibling wasn’t here, then most people wouldn’t know what to do, and I could be afraid to ask somebody else what to do, but I have a sibling that I could just ask [for help]. I came here for the visiting thing, and I was afraid sometimes if I would get lost in the school, but it’s better with a sibling to know stuff. ”

Sixth grader Sean Ruddy, who does not have a sibling at Seabury, says, “I hear that they know a lot more about the activities that we do in sixth grade and they can help with homework, because my sister is nice like that.” Ruddy does have an older sibling, but she does not go to Seabury.

Having a sibling at school can definitely be beneficial to a sixth grader for help and guidance, but they also recognize the advantage of knowing more people in the school and being able to talk to them and their sibling. Sixth grader Delanie Bayliss, says, “I definitely wouldn't have somebody to rely on. Like when I see him I can talk to him in the hallways, but if I didn't know any high schoolers I wouldn’t have anybody to talk to because I know a lot of high schoolers from my brother.”

Brockhoff, talking about how her sibling has allowed her to make more friends, says, “I knew a lot of my sisters friends, and they would be like, ‘Hey, Eliza!’And so that is like: ‘Okay I know somebody. I’m not completely isolated.’”

Sixth grader Adelle Spiess, who does not have a sibling at school, talks about what it would be like if she did have one: “ I would know more people upper grade wise, and I don’t really know anyone, so I don't talk to people. I feel like as I’m here more I’ll be with people more and understand and be friends with more people.”

With a sibling in the upper school, sixth graders, like Bayliss, are able to get to know other students in the school through their siblings. Bayliss also says, “I got to go to some of his basketball games, and the environment was really cool there and that made me want to come here even more.”

The only negative thing that came about from having a sibling came from Brockhoff. She says, “I know what to expect but then it incapacitates your ability to have new experiences that are completely your own.” Without a sibling, a sixth grader can come into a new school like Seabury with new adventures waiting for them.

In the end, most of the sixth graders appreciate or want to have a sibling at the school. Whether it is from seeking help on homework or getting to know more people in the school. With these sixth graders being the next generations of siblings, there is an abundance of them who will follow in their sibling’s footsteps. Bayliss sums it up in saying, “It's just really nice to have somebody here.”

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