Mountain Day- a beloved tradition here at Kents Hill. A chance day in the fall when students and teachers hike up a mountain as a symbol of building community. However, for many students, this shared outdoor experience can feel exclusionary, favoured, and disruptive. Despite its well-intended purpose, Mountain Day has many flaws that ultimately undermine it.
One flaw of Mountain Day is that it is a mandatory event. While some students enjoy hiking, others do not, so it feels more like a burden rather than a fun day for the latter. Additionally, for the students who dislike hiking, pushing them to participate can make the day feel more like a chore than a bonding experience.
Expanding on this point, each student has their own range of physical endurance and athleticism. As a hiking-based activity, Mountain Day tends to favour those more physically inclined, leading some less-athletic students to find Mountain Day physically draining and even embarrassing. This is especially true when they feel pressured to push themselves to keep up with their more athletic peers, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and resentment towards the activity and to peers, undermining the purpose of the activity.
As noted earlier, Mountain Day is a random day announced by our Head of School. While any student might look forward to a day of no classes, its unpredictability disrupts many of their schedules. For example, Mountain Day falls in the same season that many seniors are knee-deep in the college application process. Instead of being able to enjoy valuable time to get work done, whether for college or current schoolwork, they are expected to spend their time participating in a mandatory event like Mountain Day. This can make seniors view the day as an annoying time-waster rather than a chance to build community.
Moreover, for seniors with previously scheduled commitments – such as a college interview- Mountain Day only creates unnecessary stress and frustration. If a senior had scheduled an interview during their free period on the announced day, they would be more expected to cancel and reschedule than be allowed to sit out. This unpredictability is not only a problem, but it can also be unfair. While students and teachers are expected to adjust to the sudden schedule changes, certain groups – like the Head of School, admissions and marking departments, and SAGE members – who must be aware of the date in advance, can adjust their schedules accordingly.
Some may argue that Mountain Day is just one day, so students can afford to participate in the name of tradition and “building community” despite their reservations. However, if this is the mindset for every community-based activity, then a question must be asked: Are these activities truly for the sake of belonging among students and teachers or are they being fulfilled solely in the name of tradition and naive faith – faith towards a community that Kents Hill seems to lack?”
Either way, one effective solution could be to simply re-evaluate Mountain Day as it is and empower the student body to present and vote on ideas that might better help to build community. Ideally, any new idea should gain at least 90% of a varied majority, including both athletic and non-athletic students. This will help to ensure that any activity genuinely reflects the interests of the entire Kents Hill community.
