This seemingly simple task bloomed into a rich, sometimes heated discussion in which students supported their choices with their own definition of “the same.” From these productive arguments, they called for a clearer, more detailed definition that everyone could agree on. Ta-dah! We introduced the word congruent, and students immediately wanted a precise definition so we could use the term with a shared understanding.

I chose to present this problem before formalizing the definition so my students could experience the limitations and frustrations of vague or undefined terms. They are then highly motivated to develop stronger and more precise definitions that take into account the increased complexity of the concepts. After much debate and deliberation, the students came up with the following: Two shapes are congruent if a sequence of rigid translations, rotations, and reflections maps one shape onto the other, so corresponding parts have equal measure. This is a more rigorous definition than the seventh grade standards, but the students pushed for clarity and precision. One of the Standards of Mathematical Practice simply states, “Attend to precision.” They certainly did!

– Sarah Pikcilingis, seventh grade math teacher

Wednesday brought another exciting afternoon, highlighted by the boys’ JV soccer team traveling to Meadowbrook and earning a convincing 7–1 win. Colin Lee wasted no time, scoring for the Blue and Gold in the opening minute. Adam Bechor Neumark followed with an outstanding four-goal performance, including an incredible redirect off a cross from Milo Dowers. Finn Schoenau and Ryder Ko added late goals to complete the scoring. The team played well overall, with strong contributions from the roster and plenty to celebrate.

Field hockey hosted Shore Country Day on Wednesday and delivered one of its strongest performances of the season, despite a 3–1 loss. The game was intense and competitive throughout, with Clara Min scoring the team’s lone goal in the second quarter by positioning herself perfectly at the post and tapping the ball into the net. Sixth grader Molly Walsh remained a tremendous defensive presence, using quick reflexes and determination to break up several dangerous scoring chances and clear the ball to her teammates. Ursula Douglas also had a memorable afternoon, losing one of her baby teeth during the game! Fortunately, no foul play was involved; it was simply time for the tooth to come out. Beyond the final score, the team showed outstanding sportsmanship, teamwork, and resilience in one of its best efforts of the season.

Thursday brought a full slate of competition against Shady Hill, with strong performances across soccer, cross country, and volleyball.

Boys’ varsity soccer earned a 4–3 win over Shady Hill, holding on after allowing two late goals. The Blue and Gold showed resilience in a closely contested match, with Rubin Xiao, Gael Cruz Marcos, Ilyas Kanzi Belghiti, and Ben Street making particularly strong contributions on defense. Their communication, effort, and determination helped BDS secure the win in a hard-fought game.

Cross country also defeated Shady Hill, 23–34, in a race filled with personal accomplishments. The team recorded 11 personal records, along with several additional season-best times. Boya Yun dropped more than three minutes from his season-best time, while Stuart Sun improved by nearly 30 seconds from his last home race. Jacob Jarbeau ran nearly two minutes faster than his season-best time. Emma Katz, Ben Bradshaw, and Simon Bays also set new personal records, while Ashwin Balakrishnan improved by nearly a minute. Amelia Chang ran more than 30 seconds faster than her previous best, Emelia Jin improved by more than 20 seconds, and Malcolm Bays ran nearly two minutes faster than his previous best.

Simon Bays led BDS with a second-place finish, followed by Alana Brown in third, Kevin Zhou in fifth, Raphael Hsia in sixth, and Ben Bradshaw in seventh. The team delivered an outstanding performance and a wonderful demonstration of the progress our runners have made throughout the season.

Varsity volleyball played its best match of the season against Shady Hill, narrowly falling in three sets, 25–23, 20–25, and 8–15. The match featured exciting back-and-forth rallies, with every player contributing strong passes, sets, and attacks. The team’s serve receive continues to improve, and the serving remained a major strength. Kayla Li put together a string of successful serves that Shady Hill couldn’t return, earning several much-needed points for BDS. The front row also showed significant growth, with players becoming more confident swinging at the ball on the third hit. Nick Yu and Elsie Yang each delivered several strong attacks that resulted in points.

JV volleyball also faced Shady Hill and fell in a close three-set match, 1–2. Yiwen Bilien, Caroline Frost, and Eliana Freedman were especially strong contributors, combining for 20 of the team’s recorded points. At the same time, the rest of the team continued to contribute in important ways, creating opportunities to develop an even more balanced scoring rotation as the season continues. The team’s effort and willingness to learn were evident throughout the match.

As we move deeper into October, it has been wonderful to see progress across all our athletics teams. Students are developing their skills, learning to compete, taking on leadership opportunities, and continuing to support one another through both victories and challenges. With plenty of competition still ahead, we are excited to see what the next few weeks bring.

Campus energy has been terrific, and nothing beats seeing our students compete and represent the Blue and Gold with pride.

Go BDS!

– Stephen Marks, director of athletics