On Friday afternoon, September 8th, St. Andrew's held their annual book discussions These book discussions are designed to have groups of students meet with various faculty members; to chat about the books they recommended for summer reading. 320 students had a list of almost 60 books in which to choose, all selected by their teachers. The directive to the students was to read two books from this very diverse list. SAS Dean of Teaching and Learning, Gretchen Hurtt said this: "Reading for fun and enjoyment is an important piece of your education. After all, there's only so much we can fit onto a syllabus."
Pictured in the photo above are Kaz Yamada, Kat Firmenich, Kayley Rivera, and Margaret Gilheany (all Class of '26), discussing Amanda Montell's, Cultish,with Ms. Cusick. A very large group of students met in the Arts Center's Gahagan room with Math teacher, Kelly Lazar, to review the book, Shutter Island. Faculty reported that all students were engaged in the discussions and students said they enjoyed spending their afternoon talking about books!
The book talks are a truly wonderful way of organically getting students and faculty together. Students are meeting other students that are new to campus who may not normally have come together. Faculty are able to chat with students they may never have the opportunity to teach. As one faculty member said: "The book talks are another iteration of how we build community - by learning together and by having conversations together."