Stang Stables Seek to Bridge Divides
By Joanna Zhang ‘27
On Monday, October 20, the Student Government Association (SGA) launched the first Stang Stables meeting during the Upper School Meeting (USM) block, marking a new chapter in efforts to strengthen community connections across grades and to bridge boarding and day students. Unlike traditional USMs, where the entire student body and faculty gather in the Athletic and Convocation Center (ACC) to listen to announcements, Stables break students into smaller, more intimate groups designed to encourage genuine interaction. The activities take place in advisory-style settings, offering students an opportunity to meet new people.
The idea of Stables stemmed from the SGA, particularly from headmonitors Nehemiah Sanon ‘26 and Patrycja Pogorzelska ‘26. According to Ms. Stone, “both [Sanon and Pogorzelska] shared the concept during their head monitor election speeches and began talking with [her] and Mr. Parisi as soon as they were elected.”
While the name “Stang Stables” may sound familiar due to a similar SGA-led effort during the 2023-2024 school year, this year’s version is completely different. According to Sanon, the previous Stables included “huge groups that had…seventy kids per group in the ACC setting…and the idea was that [students] were supposed to…dress up in [different] colors.” Consequently, the intention of bonding was not achieved since “it's easy to disconnect when [one is] with seventy-five other kids,” Sanon continued. This year’s format aims to avoid the disconnection of large, impersonal gatherings. The new Stang Stables prioritize smaller group discussions, consistent meetings, and student-led activities. Each of the total 59 groups consists of 12 students, balanced by grade, gender, and boarding/day ratios. The groups, fixed for the entire school year, will meet every other week going forward.
The idea behind these small, mixed groups is to provide spaces for authentic conversations and connections that do not happen in larger assemblies. SGA Secretary Kaysia Maddix ‘26 explained this goal, stating, “We normally have USM every Monday, but USM is just sitting with friends and listening to a bunch of announcements,” so it does not foster cross-grade connections. Thus, Ms. Stone stated that “stables [ensure] that students intentionally get to know a group of peers that they might not naturally meet.” She believes that “those new relationships will foster respect, understanding, and community.”
Another aim of Stables is to build leadership. “A student leader is assigned to lead each meeting,” explained Maddix, since the SGA wants to provide leadership opportunities to all students. Lewis Moten ‘29 believes that “the format of…having…different people running the meetings is interesting.” However, after the first meeting, Moten thinks that “it might be better if all [students] lead together” since a cooperative leading process “could help [students] get to know each other better.”
After the first Stables meeting, which consisted of a game of “Would You Rather”, students expressed mixed opinions dependent on their specific group. On the one hand, the first meeting was slightly awkward for some students. Vennie Xiao ‘26 stated that, in her group, students “just sat…with people in their grade or with people they already somewhat knew” rather than talking to new people. Katie Rodman ‘27 also experienced awkwardness in the first meeting, noting how “nobody talked except for one freshman” and, after he stopped talking, “nobody [talked] at all.” Even after the discussion leader asked a question, no one answered, so the leader had to move on.
Consequently, some students doubted whether Stables could actually help them bond with others whom they were unfamiliar with. “For real long-lasting connections,” Lewis Moten ‘29 asserted, “it's better to find them naturally, because…personally…I have a better connection with the people I meet naturally” through hobbies or activities other than a forced setting.
Elizabeth Sim ‘27 also believed that the “round table discussions [in the first meeting] didn’t allow [her] to get to know people on an individual level.” She suggested that “it would be great if [students] in each Stables [could] connect one-on-one during Stables meetings” so they could form deeper relationships.
Despite doubts on whether Stables could help students bond on a deeper level, Sim said her first Stables overall “was pretty fun” since “everyone was willing to share their honest opinions about each question.” Additionally, the teachers in her Stable “were from a diversity of departments”: English (Ms. Colson), Science (Mr. Bingham), and Math (Ms. Nazarali). That diversity made conversations around essays and sit-down exams so interesting to hear.”
Similarly, many students viewed Stables as a fun platform to bond. Owen Christensen ‘29 claimed that Stables “is good for cross-grade connection.” Likewise, Kailyn Love ‘26 thought that, although the first meeting might be a bit awkward, Stables can potentially help students bond after a couple more meetings, since “as [students] start chatting… in the hallway [more often,]” they could gradually become closer. Overall, despite ambivalence around Stables, students and faculty remain hopeful about its impact to bridge divides and foster connections in the student community.