Students converse in Academy’s first Big Table event. (Sarah Neltner’20/Media)  

On Wednesday, August 29, several groups of Academy students gathered in Academy’s Dining Hall to participate in The Big Table, a discussion-based meeting that centers upon the ways our students can make positive impacts in our school and local community.

The Big Table, initiated by the Columbus Foundation, is a community- building activity that involves conversations aimed to improve the most pressing needs in central Ohio.  Big Table meetings have been hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and several schools across the city.

Senior Mira Bhasin lead a table with the topic of engaging students in community service from a young age. Freshman Carolyn Vaziri hosted a conversation about belonging in a community that prevents “othering” as a form of bias.

Academy’s first Big Table proved to be a solid start in asking students to pose the many ways of achieving a  deeper understanding of one another and how to enhance our Academy community. 

Participant, Miya Tiwari’22, said “These discussions are essential to developing our community towards the way it needs to go.”

Dates for the next month’s Big Table will be posted on students’ emails.