Mapping the Journey

Freshman students have been creating Life Maps for over 10 years now, and they have all turned out quite exceptional.  Eidann Thompson-Brown, a current seminar student, worked on her Life Map for three weeks. “It took a lot of time and energy, but it was worth it in the end,” she says. Her Life Map was a graph of her life with high points and low points. It turned out very visually appealing and organized.

9th grade seminar teachers Lydia Maier and Cathie Connors believe that Life Maps inspire students to think about the events that have shaped them and to consider their future aspirations. Life Maps give students the opportunity to realize the goals and dreams they have for their lives, and inspire students to want to reach them. “When you’re about to set out on an adventure, and I really think of high school as a journey, you want a map,” she says. “I think starting Upper School presents a great opportunity for students to embrace new challenges but they also need to honor the things they’ve done in their lives that have shaped them so they can draw on those inner resources.” Life Maps can help students see the strengths that have brought them to where they are now.