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Friday Assembly is different from others because it's run by our student co-heads of school. Not that other Assemblies aren't interesting, but there's something to be said for the energy that Annie and Stefan have put into making Friday Assemblies Putney's version of Must-See TV.
Our school day is filled with all sort of things you would expect: math, science, history, English, art, music and so on. But in the afternoons we do something to get us out of our chairs and into a sweat. Some of those activities, in the tradition of the warrior poet, involve combat. Annie and Stefan invited two of these activities, boxing and Renaissance fencing, to put on demonstrations in two recent Friday Assemblies. Both demonstrations were preceded by ensemble musical performances. The orchestra played before the fencing demo and the jazz combo preceded boxing. Music and combat may seem like two completely different things. But when performed for a Putney audience, they share similarities.
There is no better audience in the world than a Putney School Assembly. It's the best place to step up and show your peers what you've learned. No matter what your skill level, there's a true understanding that you're doing your best for your friends, who in turn support you with enthusiastic applause. Unlike more critical venues, performing at Assembly is an act of intimacy. It's a way of showing your friends this part of yourself that maybe doesn't show any other time than when you are performing: the shrinking violet with amazing dance moves, the unassuming kid with the hot piano licks, the warrior princess behind the fencing mask or the gangly kid who's boxing footwork is artwork. Or how about the kid who can juggle five balls at once. Who knew?
Like surfing, Friday Assembly is hard to discuss without sounding like you've gone somewhat 'round the bend. So enough blather. Instead, check out these photos of Friday Assembly and see for yourselves: Friday Assembly 1, Friday Assembly 2.