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Snapstory from the first FMR

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Malvern recently held its first Friday Morning Rally, a new alternative to the everyday homeroom.

For years, students have reported to homeroom for ten minutes before beginning their day, but Friday Morning Rallies are adding an exciting change of pace.

Led by Theology teacher Mr. Alex Haynie and a team of seniors, the Friday Morning Rally (FMR) Team was recently formed to plan and execute an alternative, Friday-only homeroom.

Every Friday, all Upper School students will report to the Duffy Center, where they sit in assigned seats according to their homerooms. The FMR Team hopes it can be a new way to bring the school together.

“I want it to be an opportunity for the community to come together as one but also an opportunity for student performances and for displaying student work,” Haynie said.

Students have the opportunity to contact the FMR Team if they want to participate in a rally, according to Haynie. They can perform a talent, present a project they’ve been working on, or anything else they want to show off in front of the school.

Friday Morning Rallies will also serve as an opportunity to make school-wide announcements. If there is a big game or other extracurricular events upcoming, the entire Upper School will be gathered to hear it.

Malvern students already are accustomed to coming together every Monday morning for a weekly Chapel service. The Chapel services also aim to bring the community together in a more formal setting. Friday Morning Rallies will be another opportunity for this to happen, however, in a less formal setting.

“I really enjoy the time in Chapel that we have, but I think bringing the community together even more frequently than just the Monday Chapel would be great,” Haynie said.

Typically, students report to their homerooms for just ten minutes, where their homeroom teachers take roll before the students head off to their first period class. While this will still be the case from Monday through Thursday, Fridays will be a different experience.

“Instead of going to homeroom we’ll go to the Duffy Center, and, basically, we want to just get everybody pumped up for the rest of the day and going into the weekend,” FMR Team Member Val Badalamenti ’18 said.

Haynie has been a big part of starting up the Friday Morning Rallies, and some of the inspiration for the idea came from his time in high school.

“We met as a community every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I thought it was really valuable time,” Haynie said. “And I thought we have the beautiful Duffy Theater, and we have that time in homeroom, so it seems like a window of opportunity for us.”

Friday Morning Rallies will be a new addition to the weekly routine at Malvern, and the FMR Team is excited to debut what they hope will be the start of what could become a Malvern tradition.

“We’re going have different things happening. We’re going have performances and people talking, so definitely it will help people show their abilities,” FMR Team Member Quinn McCahon ’18 said. ”I think it will get everyone going on a Friday to get school started.”

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