Clare O’Shea, Reporter
Photo by Sara Drexel
On Wednesday, October 22, the RAMbassadors‘ second RAMplify Event, in collaboration with the Building Block Committee, will be a Positive Pumpkin Patch during Building Block in the Wagner Room from 9:15-9:50 a.m.
RAMbassadors was launched this year by NCHS counselors Sara Drexel, Lindsay McGarrity and Erica Schaedler. “The goal is to bring New Canaan students together and inspire a fun, less competitive place,” Ms. Drexel said. “RAMbassadors was curated to amplify the school’s spirit, and to build a stronger, more connected community.
“We want seniors leaving NCHS to be able to say they really feel connected.” said Ms. Schaedler.
Part of this connection comes from easing the pressure that students feel consumed by during their four years of high school. By unifying all of these efforts RAMbassadors hope to become a central hub for school spirit and engagement. “We want students to loosen up a bit,” Mr. McGarrity said. “There are a bunch of different clubs going on with the same goal, and we want to streamline that.”
Contributed by Sara Drexel
In the future, the group’s biggest initiative will be the monthly RAmplify events, designed to celebrate school pride and student connections. These events will include events like additional Spirit Week celebrations, mentoring opportunities and social media campaigns to spread enthusiasm through the student body. “The idea behind RAMplify is to amplify and ramp up the volume and fun of our school, reinstating old traditions and paving the way for new ones,” Ms. Schaedler said.
What excites the counselors most is the opportunity for students to take ownership of the program, and feel a part of the whole. “We want mentors, participants and leaders to step up,” Ms. Drexel said. “This is something that shouldn’t just exist in the background. We want it to be really visible and impactful.”
For students, the program should offer a chance to feel more connected to the school beyond academics, while also making memories laying beyond high school. “It’s about making sure that when students walk away from NCHS, they feel like they were part of something bigger,” Ms. Drexel said.
RAMbassadors may be new, but with monthly events, unified goals and a direct mission, the program is guaranteed to be an exciting new addition to the student and faculty body. “We’re really looking for that community link,” Ms. Riehl said. “Tell your friends, get your friends involved, bring them to the meetings if they have ideas for events, even if they’re not a RAMbassador. We want to hear from the whole school community.”
