91̽��

Students who celebrate the Lunar New Year gathered in Hathaway House on this unusually warm February day to make dumplings, play games and spend time with one another. Joining them were the nine students and their chaperone who arrived from Shanghai, China last week as part of 91̽��’s new China exchange program. The students attend the No. 2 High School of East China Normal University and are staying with student host families for their two-week visit.

This exchange program was organized by Shimin Zhou, a modern languages faculty member. So far on their visit, the students have visited Boston sites such as the JFK Presidential Library, the Institute of Contemporary Art and Faneuil Hall. They also toured the campuses of Boston College and Harvard, had lunch at Mr. Bland’s home and spent time attending classes with their student hosts.

Even during powerful waves of self-doubt, Soerny Cruz ’12 found people in her corner. They were educators and social justice leaders who encouraged her toward a career in service.

“There were times when I didn’t believe in myself, but my community never gave up on me,” Ms. Cruz told students. “Because of that, I’ve been able to get to a place in my life where I can come back to 91̽�� and be proud of what I’m telling you about my work.”

All three of the robots designed by 91̽��’s robotics team have qualified for national and state tournaments, with resounding wins at a Bristol Community College tournament. 91̽�� robotics won the tournament overall and received four out of five awards.

The robotics team made it to at least the semifinals of every tournament they participated in this fall, a testament to their teamwork and collaborative spirit. Students are split into three teams, each competing with its own robot.

“What is the reach of who ‘we the people’ are in the United States Constitution?” Civil rights leader Robert P. Moses asked 91̽�� students. “What does it mean to be among ‘we the people?’ What does it mean to be a citizen of this country?”

The meaning of that phrase in the constitution’s preamble has shifted over the years, beginning with white, male property owners at the founding of the U.S., eventually expanding to include women and minorities, and constricting with immigration restrictions, Dr. Moses said.

Sharing visceral works filled with loss, longing, fear and love, Bingham Visiting Writer Tina Chang read her poetry to students and explained how she uses writing to grapple with existential questions about society and motherhood.

The award-winning poet and teacher read a poem from Hybrida, her forthcoming book, that weaves the voice of her son from the womb with news reports about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and with observations about the idea of police protection being conflated with hunting prey.

“Are justice and victory the same laurels?” the poem asks. “For all that we say about death and its peace and its privacy, it’s better to live.”

“You get nothing out of being cruel to yourself, and you gain everything by being kind,” Ginny Barrett (II) says. “It’s a really hard lesson to learn, but once you’re there, it can be transformative. It starts as simply as looking in the mirror and saying, ‘I look good today.’”

This is the message that Ginny and Laura Bailey (I) hope members take away from the student club, Body+, which they cofounded this year: Self-confidence comes from accepting and loving the person you are today. The girls are not just close friends; they’re cousins, and from this lifelong bond they’ve guided each other through the various insecurities that arise in adolescence.