Global Citizenship Day Brings Learning, Creativity, and Culture to Scarsdale High School

On Friday, October 9th, Scarsdale High School adapted its standard schedule to host Global Citizenship Day (GCD). This incredible school-wide event transformed the everyday class schedule into an immersive, day-long series of workshops designed to broaden perspectives, foster global awareness, and inspire community engagement.

Featuring guest speakers in the Auditorium and Little Theatre alongside creative workshops led by student club leaders, GCD offered SHS students a rich variety of meaningful experiences.

Across the building, student-led workshops stood out as a highlight of the day, showcasing the dedication and creativity of SHS clubs.

Human Rights Club: Exploring Literacy Through Art and Activism

Led by Kara Rodrigues, Emma Florence, Jiya Choudary, Melanie Tucker, Alice Suh, Rowen Kao Celmer, and Eden Rieber, the Human Rights Club dedicated its session to examining global inequalities in education. The workshop opened with an informative presentation on the right to literacy, detailing how gender discrimination and socio-economic barriers restrict educational access around the world.

To help participants to engage with the issue beyond slides, the leaders introduced "Page Turners, " a hands-on activity where students created blackout poetry and illustrations using old book pages.

"The Human Rights Club is about raising awareness of real human rights issues and promoting equality, inclusion, and respect for all people," explained co-leader Kara Rodrigues. "Our goal is to help people understand human rights issues and to encourage them to take action."

Reflecting on the session's impact, Rodrigues added, "Rather than only listening to us presenting, students also had the opportunity to participate in the Page Turners activity and create something of their own, which made the topic more interactive and allowed students to express themselves through poetry and art."

GEMS: Sparking Curiosity and Engagement in STEM

Girls Excelling in Math and Science (GEMS), led by Maddy Nam and Ariana Riggi, brought practical science to life during their GCD session. GEMS serves the broader Scarsdale community by designing and teaching monthly STEM lessons for 4th and 5th-grade girls across all five elementary schools.

For Global Citizenship Day, the leaders brought their goals and experiences to their SHS peers. Participants learned about basic electrical circuits before putting the physics concepts into practice by crafting light-up greeting cards. "Our goal is for the girls to grow more willing to experiment, ask questions, and envision themselves as problem-solvers who may one day pursue a career in a STEM field where women have been historically underrepresented," shared co-leader Maddy Nam.

Nam noted that sharing their work with fellow high schoolers was a rewarding experience, reflecting that "the session went really well, and we were thrilled to see the high school participants just as engaged in the activity as the elementary school students are every month!"

Jabberwocky: Celebrating Global Voices and Creative Expression

Scarsdale High School's literary magazine, Jabberwocky, hosted two sessions centered on international literature and creative writing. Led by student leaders Daniel Chung Hang Sze, Griffin Kong, Liam Weintrob, Claudia Wang, Samantha Warren, and Claire Friedman, and under the guidance of club advisor Mr. Mounkhall, the workshop passionately introduced participants to poetry from Brazil, England, Ireland, Taiwan, and China.
After volunteers read aloud the selected works, leaders facilitated a lively group discussion on recurring cultural themes, symbolism, impactful literary techniques, and interpretive messages behind each poem. The session concluded with a 15-minute writing workshop, where attendees drafted their own poems and short stories based on prompts tied to global culture. Several students volunteered to read their original pieces aloud and were encouraged to submit their work for publication in the Jabberwocky Magazine.

An Impactful Day for the SHS Community

By combining meaningful guest lectures with interactive, student-led workshops, Global Citizenship Day successfully highlighted the interconnectedness of our world. The event not only educated students on global issues, but also demonstrated the active role Scarsdale youth.

Photos by Jack Capobianco