Seventh Graders recently learned about service learning first-hand from organization founders and high school students who started their own community programs. Students gathered in the 7th Grade Porch to listen to a panel, moderated by Ms. Patel and Ms. Butterman, featuring Asmeret Behre Lumax, Founder & Executive Director of One Love Community Fridge; Mina Takahashi, Co-founder of Open Catskills, a community support organization for refugees; and 15-year-old twins Samsara and Soyinka Locoh-Donoh, students from the United Nations International School and Youth Ambassadors of Future of Africa. The siblings, who are part Ghanian, remarked how they felt a responsibility to return to Ghana and give back to people who were not as privileged as they are. Ms. Behre Lumax said she founded her community fridge during covid because she felt food insecurity was a paramount concern. “Consistent, small actions lead to big changes,” she said. Meanwhile, Ms. Takahashi was inspired to host local refugees after reading “The Good Immigrant” and learning about immigrants’ issues and experiences. “This work is so much about community building,” said Ms. Takahashi. Samsara noted that she and Soyinka were able to connect with Ghanaian youth through their shared heritage and similar age. “Our reward was the relationship we built with the kids,” she said. This forum was inspired by D-E parent Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, who spoke with 7th Graders in January about the business she created as a result of her service-learning work. “She helped inspire the kids to think about their identities, their values, and the impact they want to make on the community,” said Ms. Patel. “We are hoping to use this [opportunity] as a springboard for service-learning initiatives for the future.”

During a recent Middle School (MS) assembly, students were incredibly privileged to hear directly from Nana Lawton, a Holocaust survivor and great grandmother of Brian G. ‘31, in recognition of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). The assembly started with Justin Weiner, History Dept. faculty member, speaking briefly to the history of the Holocaust and how “individual experiences and perspectives shape how history is remembered.” Then, sitting alongside Brian and members and advisors of MS JADE (Jewish Affinity @ D-E), Ms. Lawton spoke to her personal experience in the harrowing, horrific period leading up to, during, and after the war, amidst constant threats of antisemitism and life-threatening persecution. Ms. Lawton’s narrative, delivered in a soft but strong voice, was all the more compelling in that she reflected her perspectives as a young child during this time. She shared how she was oftentimes fully separated from and with no contact with her parents, uprooted multiple times to places where she did not initially speak the language, all to avoid being discovered and deported to a concentration camp. Ultimately she made her way to the US and reunited with her family. The assembly then transitioned to reflections from several eighth graders on the book Berlin Boxing Club, a book they recently read that also centered on the Holocaust. In the thoughtful words of Sedi A. ‘30, “After listening to Nana Lawton speak and reading the Berlin Boxing Club, I was reminded of how important allyship is… We can all be allies to someone who needs us, even if their issues aren’t directly ours.”   A sincere, heartfelt thank you to Ms. Lawton, Brian G., MS Jewish Affinity students and advisors, and all our presenters and participants, for an unforgettable assembly.  Never forget.

Sporting their Spirit Day athletic team jerseys and T-shirts, Lower School students entered the gym for this week’s LS Assembly as the iconic song “We Are the World” played in the background. The song, as the fifth-grade presenters described, “is about being kind and helping people around the world” and struck the right chord for the assembly’s theme of community and nod to Earth Day. Second graders took center stage as a class to describe how they’ve been learning about community in their social studies classes and recently connected with Canine Companions, a nonprofit that trains service dogs for people with disabilities. This segued to a segment on the importance of doing even little things such as turning off lights as you exit a room or picking up trash in honor of Earth Day on April 22. One fifth grader remarked that “The Earth takes care of us, so we must take care of it,” which led into a group chant of this year’s Earth Day theme of “Our Power, Our Planet.” Happy Earth Day to our amazing community of learners!