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The ICSD e-Insider is a quarterly newsletter that provides updates on Learning Forward ICSD, the district's three-year approach to academic and social-emotional learning. In this issue you'll find highlights of new courses at DeWitt Middle School and Ithaca High School, examples of "students as partners and leaders" from some of our elementary schools, and more!
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CS for Good at DeWitt Middle School
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A new course at DeWitt Middle School is introducing all sixth-grade students to foundational computer science (CS) concepts, with a specific focus on equity, collaboration, and the positive impacts of computing. The course, CS for Good, was written by ELA teacher Angela Levy, with help from TST BOCES' Matt O’Donnell, Felicia Woodard, and Sten Anderson. The goals of the course are to introduce students to computer science, specifically from an equity perspective (CS is for ALL of you), and to provide them with experiences in physical computing, the design process, and ethics in computing. More>>
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African America Studies at Ithaca High School
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During the Fall 2021 semester, Ithaca High School ELA teacher Michael Reiff and then student-teacher Steven D'Alterio introduced a new senior elective, called African America Studies (AAS), in “hopes to toss sand in the gears of conformity.”
Guided largely by foundational texts like Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Gholdy Muhammad’s Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework, Reiff and D'Alterio sought to design a course that would empower students to: deconstruct the language, histories, and narratives that surround us; reconstruct a different understanding of our country’s past, present, and future; and “weconstruct” a community within which we can all better exist. More>>
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STUDENTS AS PARTNERS AND LEADERS
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First-Grade Students Lead Marches at Belle Sherman and Cayuga Heights
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Last month, first-graders at two of our elementary schools led marches through their buildings, calling for a more just world.
At Belle Sherman Elementary, the 50 first-graders marched for peace, carrying protest signs with slogans like “Equal Rights Matter” and “Peace, Not War!” As they wound their way back to the Annex, the students held candles and sang “We Shall Overcome” in a moving display of solidarity and unity.
Similarly, Christine Barley’s first-grade class at Cayuga Heights Elementary planned a march through their building for Black Lives Matter at School. The idea for the march came when one of Barley’s students connected the read-aloud We March by Shane W. Evans to what the class had been studying around the Black Lives Matter at School's 13 Guiding Principles.
Click on the links below to learn more about the student-led marches!
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BJM Students Present to Board of Education on School's Water Supplies
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At a recent ICSD Board of Education meeting, fifth-grade students from Beverly J. Martin Elementary presented persuasive arguments for why the district should eliminate the use of water coolers and install more water fountains/bottle fillers at their school. View the recording below, and click here to download the presentation slideshows.
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South Hill First-Graders Call for Inclusive Band-Aids
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First-grade students at South Hill Elementary successfully urged their school to supply diverse band-aids that represent and appreciate the many skin tones that exist among students and staff.
During Black Lives Matter at School week, one of Patricia Buhr’s first-graders asked her for a band-aid and remarked that the band-aid did not match their skin tone. This presented an opportunity for all of the students in Buhr’s class to discuss why the band-aids supplied at South Hill didn’t reflect the diversity that exists within the school and to consider how they could become agents of change.
The students crafted persuasive letters to the school nurse and principal advocating for diverse band-aids (see examples here) and, in doing so, helped make South Hill a more inclusive place. The school now has an array of beautiful skin tone band-aids for students and staff to choose from!
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IHS Chorale Joins Ensembles from Cornell and Ithaca College for Choral-Orchestral Performance
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On Saturday, March 26, the IHS Choirs joined the Ithaca College Madrigal Singers, the Cornell Chamber Singers, and the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra for the first-ever documented performance of “Song of Hope,” a major work by Florence Price. The performance was conducted by Michael Stern, a 2014 Ithaca High School graduate and current Ithaca College graduate conducting student.
“Working to bring this composition to life has been transformative for the students of the IHS Chorale,” IHS Choir Director Kristin Zaryski said. “They have approached Price’s music with such thoughtfulness and tenacity. We are honored to help bring this work into the world, particularly with so many members of the community and with an IHS alumnus at the helm.” More>>
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Former Board of Education Member Engages Caroline Students in Artist Residencies
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Former ICSD Board of Education member Ann Reichlin recently received a Community Arts Partnership (CAP) Arts Education Grant for two artist residencies at Caroline Elementary School.
One of the residencies will be a first-grade Puppet Theatre Workshop designed to support students’ literacy goals and simultaneously stretch their imaginations. Reichlin's other project, “Make Way for Play: Wilderness Case Study,” is an interactive curriculum that teaches kindergarten students the art of sculpture. “Make Way for Play” will culminate with a Wilderness Case Study Celebration, where students will have the opportunity to present their projects to their families and the school community.
Visit CAP’s website to learn more!
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On March 18, educators from across the district engaged in critical identity work (a key pillar of Learning Forward ICSD) and grade/building-level planning. Check out more photos from our District Conference Day on Facebook.
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Thank you for reading the e-Insider! To learn more about Learning Forward ICSD, visit our website at the link below.
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