Celebrating Legacy, Power, and Resilience: Our 2027 Community Read

by Lauren Olson (Tregaron Research & Media Specialist) and Kristen Kullberg (Tregaron Making and Design Initiatives Coordinator)

Over the summer, students entering Grade 9 read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. The graduating Class of 2027 selected the memoir to welcome the Class of 2030 and introduce resilience, the Grade 9 advisory theme, through a shared reading experience.

As they read, students considered the book’s values, perspectives, and possible calls to action. They connected William’s experiences to their own understanding of resilience, curiosity, purpose, and community. Aileen C. wrote, “Resilience doesn't mean perfection; it means continued effort.” Firas M. reflected, “To be resilient is to learn from your previous failure and adjust and adapt to try one more round until you succeed.” Many students also recognized that resilience can involve changing course, using available resources, and accepting support from others. As Francesca L. explained, “Resilience doesn’t mean doing everything independently. This book taught me that it’s ok to ask for help and lean on others as well.”

On the second day of school, Grade 9 explored how the book is about both literal and figurative power. Using a JusticexDesign thinking routine and VeneKlasen and Miller’s “Power Cube” (2006), students learned four ways to understand power: power to, power over, power with, and power within. They practiced applying these ideas to the book’s characters and photography featured by the Prix Pictet. As they examined each image, students distinguished observation from interpretation and considered how documentary photographers communicate stories about power, environment, and impact.

Grade 9 then joined Grade 12 to examine a fifth type of power, "Power For.” Looking at photographs of upper school experiences such as Graduation, Fall Fest, Career Day, and Sports Day, students discussed what it looks like to work with a shared idea of power. 

Students documented how WIS gives you the Power For lots of things: confidence to show up as themselves, the ability to shape one’s future, and the energy created when people work together. Their shared reflections included the importance of “finding your people,” supporting others through change, recognizing the uniqueness in what each person contributes, and even remembering that “you have the power to rest.” As one group concluded, “Finding your people and working together is one of the most important things you can do.”