A Middle School Winter Reunion in Song

 

Middle school innovation, engineering and computer science teacher Rae Johnson ’11 joined the Masters community as a sixth grade student and participates in the annual concert finale every year. “Singing this song every year is one of the few timeless traditions that ties students from my generation to the ones in school now,” Johnson said. “I even use it in a micro:bit coding assignment with my seventh grade students, since I know it will always be a hit.”

Jennifer Carnevale, chair of the Department of Performing Arts, started the tradition in 2003. “I had performed this song in the New Jersey All-State Choir in the ’90s and loved its simplicity and message,” she explained. “It is a round, so it’s an accessible entry point for even very young students to sing in harmony.” 

Based on a Navajo prayer, the lyrics are: “Now I walk in beauty / Beauty is before me / Beauty is behind me / Above and below me.”

Katie Meadows, middle school performing arts coordinator, said it is “a song of gratitude for all of the things that make our lives beautiful and meaningful. In music classes this fall, students expressed gratitude for family, friendships, nature, having a home and food on the table, their pets, music, art, team sports, teachers, experiences and their education at Masters. To be able to sing that song to and with our community, past and present, is one of my favorite Masters moments of the year.”

The students start together in unison, then the round begins with the fifth and sixth grades, followed by the seventh and eighth grades. The fourth group is middle school alumnae/i. 

“I love that it includes alumnae/i — those who are currently in the Upper School and even some who have graduated — whether current faculty, siblings or visiting alumnae/i,” said Carnevale, whose children, Alex ’25 and Johnny ’32, performed together last year. “When I get to the alums’ part, I turn around, and it is the first time I see who has joined us. Some years, more than 100 are on stage. It’s always an emotional moment for me.”

At this year’s concert, Noah Kassell-Yung ’23 joined his younger sister, eighth grader Cleo Kassell-Yung, on stage.

“When Noah got on stage, it made me very happy,” Cleo shared. “I felt that it was important for him to get up there for my last time in middle school. The arts are always something that bring people together, no matter who they are.”

For Johnson, the moment remains deeply meaningful: “No matter how much has changed since I was in middle school, there are some things I will always have in common with the students on stage: the Middle School's values and traditions, and the love and awe for Masters that makes us want to come back and celebrate at each winter concert.”