Global Citizenship Day Inspires Students to Facilitate Change

Dr. Drew Patrick at “Are Public Schools Essential to Democracy?” Photo Michelle VernaIn my mind, there are good reasons why Scarsdale High School was ranked the number one high school in Westchester County by Niche Magazine. It’s well known that our district has a stellar reputation for providing students with an exceptional education, for having the best and brightest teachers, and for utilizing progressive pedagogy approaches. There are few better examples of how this all culminates to deliver the best for our students than SHS’s Global Citizenship Day.

The day began 10 years ago with just three periods dedicated to the immersive learning and has organically grown to encompass so much more. This year there were speakers and presenters that included students, teachers, administrators, prominent community leaders, and world-renowned authors throughout each period of the day. To top it all off, the PTA hosted an International Luncheon with cultural foods from around the world including dishes like samosas, mooncakes, dumplings, brigadieros and tables full of other delectable bites.

To quote the SHS website, “The goal of the day is to educate our students about issues that they citizens and future leaders of the world need to know to inspire change. Our hope is that they are moved to act and that they are able to have a more global perspective on the rights and responsibilities inherent in being a global citizen.”

Thanks in large part to the hard work of organizers Heather Waters and Meredith Dutra this year students participated in an array of classes and presentations covering topics such as:

-Teaching the Midterm Elections
-Beyond the Headlines: Deepening Our Understanding Of Book Bans
-Social Justice On The Stage
-Guide Dogs and Therapy Support

In each of these classes and all of the others I had the privilege of observing, you could see the goal of Global Citizenship Day being achieved in real time. In addition to the presentations encouraging students to think deeply about the world around them, to take responsible actions, to empathize and look at situations from other perspectives, and to work hard to better understand motivations, the day also provoked meaningful dialogue, sparked informed debates and allowed students to dive deep into what it means to be a good citizen and a participating member of society.

I saw all of this in action during an event titled Free Speech, hosted by SHS teachers Stephen Mounkhall and Christopher Stephen Mounkhall and Christopher Paulison gave a session on the meaning of free speech. Photo Credit: Michelle VernaPaulison. To start, at the early hour of 8 am, these teachers were excited, enthusiastic and best of all entertaining. They didn’t just lecture the students on the meaning of free speech but asked pointed questions and encouraged students to turn to their peers and discuss their opinions. The teachers discussed current affairs such as Twitter’s suspension of Donald Trump’s and Kanye West’s accounts and went even further with the banning of Salaman Rushdie’s book, “Satanic Verses” to encourage students to ponder how far censorship should extend and if people should be allowed to publish material that another group finds offensive. It was impressive that even though this was the first class of the day, students were engaged, gave thoughtful responses, and took part in contemplative discussion.

In another program, Interim Superintendent Dr. Drew Patrick gave a thought-provoking presentation to a packed audience. In this program Dr. Patrick highlighted where our school budgets come from, how funding for our public schools works, and how this can influence decision making and can grant or inhibit a school’s power and control over their own process. Dr. Patrick’s presentation encouraged students to thoroughly consider their own communities and why and how their different organizational structures operate. While this is only a short overview, I was again taken with how wholly engaged the students were in addition to how polite and gracious they acted. Dr. Patrick’s session ended with a robust round of applause with several students stopping to say thank you as they exited the Little Theater.

Author Jason Mott conducted a session via Zoom. Photo by Wendy MacMillan.Some of our students were also welcomed to a program with renowned author Jason Mott where he discussed his celebrated book “Hell Of A Book” which touches on the themes of racism, police violence, love, money, and the experience of growing up Black in America. Arranged in conjunction with the Scarsdale Adult School, Mr. Mott appeared via Zoom, yet his charisma, wit, and humbleness shone through. Explaining his motivations to write “Hell Of A Book”, Mott explained that he started writing 10 years ago as a means to cope with the intense emotions he experienced after incidents of police brutality against black men in the US. He graciously answered a host of questions previously submitted by students. One take away from this insightful author visit was that there are always multiple perspectives to consider and when creating his characters he feels he can’t humanize one character without also humanizing the others. Later in the afternoon Mr. Mott himself moderated a book group in an author-led book discussion for a smaller group of SHS students. And it wasn’t only students who were treated to an interview with the acclaimed author, that same evening Jason Mott was a guest at the Scarsdale Adult School where dove deeper into the magical realism and sardonic humor of his masterfully written story that delivers an all-important message.

Still other programs of the day included The Power Of A Story presented by Librarians Liz Waltzman and Katja Rossi in which, using Chimmanda Adiche’s Ted Talk, “The Danger Of Single Story” and the short film The Lunch Date, the class explored how stories, written and told, can influence how we perceive identity and shape stereotypes.

Robin Davies of Yes She Can. Photo by Michelle VernaIn Yes She Can, Robin Davies, the Executive Director of a non-profit which helps train women with autism to work in their stores, related that the definition of Global Citizenship and Inclusion are almost interchangeable.

The Constitution Today hosted by SHS teachers Andrew Morgan, Brendan Lee, and Ron Widelec examined the extent to which the Constitution is effective and/or worthy of our veneration. This session led by passionate and spirited teachers, sparked a lively and thoughtful debate among students who argued their positions with impressive knowledge of US history and current affairs.

At Model UN-The Russia/Ukraine Conflict, Debating the US Role student officers of the model UN Club led participants through a simulation debate of the extent to which the United States should directly engage in the conflict currently engulfing Europe. The officers were all knowledgeable and well-spoken as they gave a brief background of the conflict before leading the class in a debate of possible interventions.

The Genocide 80Twenty Club hosted a presentation with Holocaust survivor Martin Bloch moderated by seniors Benjamin Hyman and Jedd Frydman. The moderators who exuded professionalism and respect, first invited for Bloch to share his amazing tale of survival before leading an impactful Q and A. Bloch’s story of surviving the Holocaust as a child with his mother and brother not only inspired a large audience of SHS students, but also served as inspiration for the movie Defiance. It was a great opportunity for students to hear this remarkable first-hand account delivered by an equally remarkable man who stated that it is his “mission to encourage everyone to pay attention and to always fight against prejudice in order to prevent atrocities from happening again.”

At Effective Citizenship Leadership in the World We Are Entering a panel of upstanding Scarsdale residents (moderated by senior Daniel Hochberg) discussed what it means to serve your community. Speakers included Ruth Suzman, career philanthropist, Allison Kestenbaum, investor relations at Tiger Global Management, and Miriam Rocah, DA of Westchester County who left the students with a list of action items regarding gun safety:

1. If you see something, say something. Teens often hear, see, and know much more than the adults around them so if you hear or suspect that someone could be a threat to themselves or others, please report it. It’s not about getting that person in trouble, it's about getting guns out of a potentially dangerous situation.
2. Urge legislators to enact strong gun laws to get assault weapons off our streets.
3. Speak out against hate and violence.
4. And when you are old enough, register to vote and VOTE.

While I was impressed with the caliber of Global Citizenship Day, and its promotion of awareness, advocacy, and action, I was far from the only one. Social Studies teacher Heather Waters reported that “the high school was abuzz and the response [to the day] has been stellar from teachers, staff and students.” One freshman even said, “This day was very fun and interesting! The speakers that I got a chance to listen to offered me a unique perspective on topics I don’t usually think about.”

For more information on Scarsdale High School’s Global Citizenship Day and a complete list of presentations click here.

Wendy MacMillan is a former teacher and now a proud mom of two, school aged children. With a background in psychology, education, and mindfulness, Wendy has long been passionate about wellness and helping others.