“Fulfilling the Promise” at the Semiquincentennial
The Winsor School was one of four high schools across the nation that participated in Fulfilling the Promise, a documentary from Sphere Education Initiatives. Timed to the semiquincentennial, Fulfilling the Promise is a portrait of civic education in the United States and challenges students to consider, “Are we living up to our founding principles?”
Other Sphere Educational Initiatives schools included in the documentary are Design Works High School in Brooklyn, New York; Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and Mountain Middle School in Durango, Colorado. Featuring interviews with students and one educator from each school, the film explores how teachers and students bring the Declaration of Independence to life and discuss its principles through the framework of civil discourse.
Julian Braxton, history faculty at Winsor and holder of the Bezan Chair for Community and Inclusion, spoke with Sphere, and seniors in his Politics of Identity course participated in the documentary as well. Since 2018, the Politics of Identity course has had a counterpart at Sidney High School in Montana. “I think sometimes it can be really easy to just surround yourself in a bubble where everyone shares your opinions and views,” explains Mr. Braxton. To push outside the bubble, the classes have regular Zoom meetings where students bump up against their differences, but also find common ground.
“Civil discourse and civic discourse are at the heart of some of the challenges and opportunities with our nation’s founding,” said Mr. Braxton in the film. “The fact that we want to engage with other perspectives is really, really important because it is one of the founding principles of America.” Connecting with the class in Montana allows students in both states to talk though differences, “and often,” notes Mr. Braxton, “in those conversations, even though we might have held different beliefs or opinions, our reasoning was actually pretty similar.”
On September 11, the all-school assembly was dedicated to Fulfilling the Promise;the entire school community watched the documentary together. “Over the past 250 years, American perspectives on inalienable rights, pursuing happiness, the just powers of governments, and so many other terms in the Declaration have evolved and diverged,” explained Clara Humphrey ’28, one of the students who introduced the film. “I don’t mean to disregard the evident progress that has been made since the writing of the declaration; however, my focus is on the sheer progress that needs to be made,” added Hannah Ahn ’28.
Each school featured in the film—from Boston to Brooklyn, and Carlisle to Durango—participated in the same community-building activity after viewing it. Students were invited to respond to two questions:
What does the idea of “fulfilling the promise” mean to you?
What is one action you can take to help strengthen dialogue in our school?
At Winsor, two bulletin boards—one in the Lower School hallway and another in the Upper School hallway—served as a landing place for answers. Students wrote on small square sticky notes and joined the conversation, some anonymously, some with a John Hancock.
“To strengthen dialogue at Winsor, we could have more class discussions like we do in English that are free of judgement…that relate to our own lives and experiences as well as the course content,” read one sticky note. Another echoed the sentiment suggesting, “Setting aside times in history class to discuss the events we are talking about in a non-analytical way.”
Other responses emphasized a longing for connection—“I think if we did things with both the Upper and Lower School we could connect more.” A related thought: “I think if people in our school talked more in the hallway (especially people in different grades) we would strengthen our community and dialogue.”
Beyond Fulfilling the Promise and “Politics of Identity,” Winsor has a long history with civic engagement, and continues to evolve how the subject is taught.
School-wide events like Community Curriculum Day emphasize these educational priorities as well. In 2024 this special day was timed to the presidential election. Winsor’s on-campus community shifted from regularly scheduled activities to come together for Community Curriculum Day where students and faculty spend a full day in civic discourse. The 2024 program was “Winsor Wildcats in Action: Civic Engagement and Bridging Divides.” The day featured a multitude of student-led workshops, guest speakers, and political leaders who engaged with students, faculty, and staff throughout the day. Additionally, Winsor students voted on division-specific ballot initiatives during a school election.
Reflecting on the fourth of July, Hannah Ahn ’28 shared, “Amidst the polarization of our country and deep divisions that we see in politics and other areas, I viewed that day as one where the lines that divided us temporarily blurred.”
The conversation is ongoing for educators and students alike. Looking ahead, all four schools will share their responses about strengthening dialogue and fulfilling the promise with one another.
Special thanks to Alan Carey and Elyse Warren Alter of Sphere Education Initiatives for all their work in producing Fulfilling the Promise.
Watch Fulfilling the Promise
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