On Thursday May 15th – Saturday May 17th the Mount Madonna School 8th grade participated in a tradition that has been treasured in our community for over 30 years: the 8th grade rite of passage. With the support of accompanying adults, each participating student spent an overnight camping solo on mount madonna land engaging in silent technology free individual reflection. Adults accompanying the group ensured that at least one adult was awake at all times to tend the fire throughout the night, to honor the students embarking on the experience, and to provide care and safety during their time out. Similar to our other learning journeys, the experience involved a call (or preparation stage), a journey (the experience), and a return (a space for reflection and witnessing.)
At Mount Madonna School, at each stage of a student’s growth and development we have in place a rite of passage: from kindergarten to first grade, fifth to sixth grade, eighth to ninth, and twelfth to college. In their elementary years, students are simply “instructed in the values” of the community. At this 8th grade Rite of Passage, students continue to be instructed in the values of the community, but, in addition, are entrusted to “hold (live) the values” of the community. This threshold of adolescence to adulthood is particularly formative and deserves a special focus. In the final stage, from high school to college, they are further extended the privilege and responsibility of becoming “shapers of the values” of the community.
In the Mount Madonna Rite of Passage, there is no specific expected outcome for any of the participants as each individual journey is unique. While students may share the story of their own rite of passage if they desire, they are asked not to share the story of others. Once completing the experience, our emerging young adults are invited to preserve aspects of the mystery for younger students, as hearing details about an older student’s experience can impact personal expectations a future participant places on the experience and themselves. There is an aspect of mystery and unknown that is important for ensuring the individuality and authenticity of each student’s personal journey.
Many of our past students have reported that they enjoyed and benefited from the experience. For some, the most intense experience may be simply boredom. The intention is for each adolescent to have the opportunity to briefly step away from the routine of their daily life in order to notice where they have been, who they are, and who they may become. As a former student summed up, “It’s what’s on the other side of boredom that’s interesting.”
“I think that the most important reason for Rite of Passage is the time it gives you to think about things that you don’t normally think about. You don’t really realize how much you have to think about on a daily basis before you have nothing to think about and I think that is what is so special about the whole experience.”
~Pierce Culbertson
