Until recently, Dever Elementary and McCormack Middle had always been divided entities, despite the bridge conjoining them.  They were two seperate worlds, with different academic environments, principals, and mascots. Now that consolidation of the two schools is underway, one of the main goals of staff and partners is to create a unified culture. To elevate school pride, our MFS Investment Management Team© at the Dever-McCormack (DMC) Upper School is providing in-school support for DMC’s Step Team, “PASOS.”

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“PASOS,” which means “steps” in Spanish, demonstrates teamwork, passion, determination and the enthusiasm of a student body that is excited about building school pride at DMC.  These qualities remind me of my AmeriCorps service year with City Year.  And thankfully, I have had the privilege of being the City Year rep for PASOS and they have welcomed me with open arms.  They have even let me rehearse choreography with them, showing me moves, and pulling me in on debriefs and spirit breaks. Touched, I could not help but return the favor by teaching them a City Year favorite: power lunges. I told them that City Year does PT (Physical Training), or rhythmic calisthenics, for the same reason PASOS performs: to showcase pride.

Last month, PASOS collaborated with City Year. We performed at the PRIDE assemblies, showing the rest of the school that there is a lot to be proud of being at the Dever-McCormack Upper. Together, we are dedicated in creating a positive school climate, and I personally look forward to watching PASOS grow.  I take personal pride in leading their peers in creating a common culture for DMC.