CCSD Hosts Annual Student Unity Day and CommUNITY Day Events

On Thursday, June 1, our Chappaqua Schools community participated in our spring Unity Day and CommUNITY Day events. Started by our Horace Greeley High School BIPOC Student Union (BSU)  in 2019, Unity Day is dedicated to promoting unity, inclusivity, and civic education among our students. Students at all levels participated in student Unity Day events featuring guest speakers starting at 1 PM. 

K-6: Miranda Paul Author Visit

Students in grades K-6 joined a virtual author visit with Miranda Paul, author of the book, Speak Up. Students first read the book in classroom read-alouds, learned from Paul’s visit, and then participated in classroom conversations and reflections.

Speak Up, illustrated by Ebony Glenn, is about a group of children who discover the many ways that they can speak up and make their voices heard. These young students show that simple, everyday actions can help people and make the world a better place. Students discussed why it’s important to speak up and contribute to positive changes in their communities.

Paul talked with students about how her experiences teaching in The Gambia taught her about environmental issues and the importance of speaking up.  She encouraged our students to use their voice. Her message inspired students to embrace their identities, care for the environment, and speak up for positive change. 

7-12 Pablo Wolfe Keynote

Students in grades 7-12 participated in a keynote and classroom conversation and reflection from Pablo Wolfe, founder of the  Coalition for Civically Engaged Educators. Wolfe shared his insights on how civic education can positively impact student engagement, celebrate students’ unique identities, and empower students to become active citizens of the future.

Wolfe spoke about our obligations to ourselves and each other, asking students to think about how they developed a sense of belonging to the groups they belong to. “How does this society value each other?” he asked students. In classrooms, students discussed their learning and reflections from Wolfe’s talk and connections to his civic engagement. (continued below)

CommUNITY Day

In the evening, the District hosted CommUNITY Day for families in the Horace Greeley High School Courtyard featuring a keynote from Pablo Wolfe.

Wolfe asked the audience to think about how schools provide students opportunities to create community, become civically engaged, and build relationships. “What can school prepare them [students] for that can’t be answered by a computer more efficiently and and more quickly? I think it’s relationships,” he shared. He stressed the need for schools to encourage relationship building across differences and to build community by working together to address common problems. “Civically engaged schools give students space to explore these issues” and to create the type of community that matters most to them.

After his comments, there was a musical performance and a school community showcase highlighting our equity work throughout the District.