The Case for Morning Assembly & Chapel at Clairbourn

But, when student are treated like computers to be “loaded,” and are shaped into impressive towers of narrowly-focused achievement, there is an associated risk of their tower crumbling to the ground when life gets difficult. In order to build a student that will withstand the challenges of life, there needs to be an ongoing, sincere investment in the qualities, habits, and connections that build true resilience and that will carry them through major challenges like the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though it would be simpler to function like computers, the truth is, we all have emotions that need to be managed. We all have a need for social connection that can’t be denied. We all need a sense of purpose that extends beyond our current talents. More importantly, we all need to cultivate a connection to a “Source” so we can find good ideas when we have exhausted our own efforts to handle a problem. 

Clairbourn was started as a religious school in 1926, and it was therefore natural to begin each school day with an inspiring message, hymn, and a prayer that drew from its Christian religious heritage.  When Clairbourn opened to all faiths in 1967, the Morning Assembly with its Chapel Message continued on a daily basis because it proved valuable in building community, in providing a behavioral standard, and in helping to manage the community’s emotional well-being. 

Even when Clairbourn’s Chapel underwent another change in 2018, shifting the focus to the Clairbourn Code of Ethics (which includes Spirituality), the singing of a hymn and recitation of the Lord’s prayer still remain part of the activity. Emma Seppälä Ph.D., an expert in health psychology, well-being, and resilience, notes in an article for Psychology Today that, “While fewer Americans believe in God and millennials are the least religious generation in the last few decades, nine out of ten Americans have relied on prayer in times of duress.” So, it is because of this enduring need for higher answers to meet the needs of the human condition that Clairbourn provides this daily opportunity to cultivate a spiritual practice.

Clairbourn ‘s Student Council often presents topics at Chapel designed to promote the Code of Ethics.

The inspirational messages drawn from the Code of Ethics shared in Clairbourn’s Chapel Messages are all about building strong community ties that develop a sense of belonging, purpose, gratitude, and service. These include Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Spirituality, and Citizenship.  When students develop a deeper understanding of these qualities through daily messaging and the requirement to express them in their interactions with others, not only is a strong sense of character formed, but one can draw strength from the positive community ties they have worked to develop.

But even more important than community ties, is having the tools to cultivate inner strength and hope.  There are times when we need deeper resources than a community can provide. That’s where hymn-singing combined with a prayer or mediation practice come into play.

One of the best reasons to sing hymns is that the words can help people to regain clarity when one is too scared or disturbed to think.  They provide a positive script that leads you thought-by-thought up a mental staircase to enjoy a higher view of safety, protection, and restoration of good that comforts and inspires.  Imagine feeling storm-tossed, with everything one holds dear seemingly lost, and how the following words from the Chapel hymns could bring comfort and provide hope:

The Lord’s Prayer recitation practice (or a quiet moment, if students prefer that) is also a reminder that there is always an answer, especially when we run out of options.  As much as we cultivate ourselves to be self-reliant and accomplished, there are weaknesses in the human condition that catch up with us and back us into tight corners. Whether it is a mediation practice, or a prayer that comes from a specific religion, the act of praying or meditation can provide a mental “air-lift” out of those corners to see answers that were previously obscured.

Science backs up these benefits on the mind and body, and that’s why Clairbourn makes an ongoing case for having a daily Morning Assembly with Chapel Message for its community to enjoy.  We want our students to be accomplished as well as resilient for anything that life throws at them. We want them to be the clear-thinkers that know how to draw from deep wells of inspiration thus equipping them to solve world-sized problems.