Example 1: A restaurant in New York City serves a complimentary glass of champagne to someone dining alone. The gesture becomes part of their signature service.

One of the lesser-known highlights of the late spring at New Canaan Country School is the launch of rowboats on Hardon Pond. Each year, eighth and ninth graders in Mr. Lawler’s Boat Building woodshop elective design and build wooden rowboats which, on a particularly beautiful spring day, they cart across Frogtown Road for a celebratory christening and launch on the placid pond. The group manages the event with the appropriate level of ceremony: they don straw hats, sing songs and adorn the bow of the boats with a bouquet of peonies and blue false indigo, freshly clipped from the Lower School Wellness Garden.

“Community-building is central to the school’s mission, and this event reiterated that this is a safe place where students are encouraged to take risks, be unique, celebrate individual talents and passions, and show respect and support for others doing the same,” said Middle School Teacher Abby Cali, who, together with teachers Camden Fort, Lindsay Frey and Andy Tyson, helped facilitate the event. “Part confidence-making, part courage-practicing, part celebration of the performing arts, the event was 100% amazing.”