Many things carry great importance throughout the school year: athletics, extracurriculars, and academics. However, within the past five years, a fourth branch of the importance tree has sprouted: belonging.

“Belonging is one of the most important things that we prioritize here at LT,” Principal Jennifer Tyrrell said. “We believe that belonging sets the table for everything. When our students feel that true, authentic sense of belonging and connection, as their authentic selves, we believe that opens a door and sets the table for everything else that can occur within our school community.” 

Over the past five years, administrators have made many changes to the way the school approaches the concept of belonging. LT has begun incorporating icebreakers at the beginning of each semester to ensure bonds form within the classroom, hosting restorative circles to collect data across the student body, and running the Student Equity and Belonging Committee to discuss what changes and improvements can be made to the school community. 

“We are what we talk about [and], we are what we celebrate, the walk that we walk,” Director of Equity and Belonging Jennifer Rowe said. “[We] have to discuss something and practice it in order for it to be a living [practice] and part of what [we] do. For me, it’s in my title, and it’s not equity in isolation; it’s what does it truly mean to belong?”

In the fall of 2022, LT started administering the Panorama Surveys run by Panorama Education. This survey is an instrument used to elevate students’ voices on their school’s atmosphere, teaching, learning, relationships, and belonging. Panorama Education serves over 2,000 districts across the country and works to transform learning environments for both educators and students positively. 

“We did a bunch of listening circles with students and staff and found that there is no event that we can do to increase the sense of belonging,” Assessment and Research coordinator Kirstine Zieman said. “It’s the day-to-day interactions that students have with each other, that they have with their teachers, that the staff members have with each other, that really influence [belonging].”

On Friday, Nov. 14, Rowe hosted the Amplify Conference at SC to connect with students and gather more information in a safe and inviting environment that would ultimately help shape future years at LT. This conference hosted 75 students and staff during all periods of the day and featured a DJ to help keep the spirits high in what might seem like an intimidating environment. 

“To move the needle the most, we need everyone to jump in, to treat each other with kindness, to say ‘Hi’ in the hallways, to ask people how they’re doing, to connect with people,” Zieman said. 

The Panorama Survey is administered every fall and spring, and since 2022, the overall sense of belonging has been on the rise. While this increase is subtle, school officials are very proud of the community and sense of belonging they have created, Tyrrell said. Using survey results, Zieman breaks them down by ethnicity, race, and gender to ensure all results and opinions are considered.  

“Everything contributes to belonging,” Tyrrell said. “It’s events, it’s an opportunity for connection, it’s how we design our spaces, it’s students feeling safe. It’s about helping students find their connection to co-curriculars and activities and groups, [and] how students are feeling in their classes because that’s ultimately where they spend most of their time at LT. It is also about the relationships they develop during their time at LT.”