News & Views
In Search of Community, Ninth Graders Create Virtual Book Club
“This pandemic makes me think of a huge plot twist in a novel,” said Ben Herdeg, a ninth grade student at New Canaan Country School. “It’s like a psychological page-turner, I have no idea what’s going to happen next.”
Ben and classmate Maren Frey, both residents of New Canaan and avid readers, had been trading recommendations for what to read next when the shelter-in-place policy went into effect.
“While I really miss school and the daily rhythms and social interactions, one of the silver linings of this situation is that I have more time to read for pleasure,” said Ben.
Maren wholeheartedly agreed, adding that she also yearned for the in-person aspects of the close-knit Country School community, which had transitioned by then to a distance learning program.
“I’m a social person by nature,” she explained. “This isolation has been difficult for me. I miss being with my friends and talking to my teachers outside of class. I really want to spend as much time as possible with these people before we graduate in the spring and go on to our secondary schools.” Maren has plans to matriculate to The Miss Porter’s School in the fall, Ben to The Hotchkiss School.
“In talking it over with Ben, we decided to problem-solve the situation by playing to our strengths. I like to create fun things to do and Ben wouldn’t tell you this, but he’s a great organizer and leader. We both love to read and we know our friends do too. We all know how to ZOOM and Google hang out, so we decided to create a virtual book club.”
Ben agreed and together they reached out to the entire Upper School (Grades 7-9) to join along. Virtual Book Club was born.
“I had read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart,” recalled Ben. “It had a big twist that I thought Maren and our friends would enjoy. The irony of how we are living through a major plot twist ourselves was not lost on me,” he added, dryly. “It felt like a good first choice.” Since then, Book Club has met weekly via ZOOM to discuss the reading, however Maren and Ben both acknowledge that these conference calls quickly cover more ground than just the book. “It’s so great to see everyone and catch up,” said Maren.
Up next for Book Club: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater. “I picked this one and I think everyone will enjoy it,” said Maren. “I read it as part of my eighth grade coursework last year and thought it was amazing,”
“I really love that we have invented our own virtual community to try to replace the one we lost,” said Maren philosophically. “It is a combination of things that I enjoy and I’m proud of us for making something good out of a bad situation.”
New Canaan Country School
New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.
