Latin School of Chicago

News & Notes Change Makers First graders were charged by this year's theme, "Action," to make a positive impact in our school community. ey focused on understanding different ways to experience and take action with guidance from the Teaching Tolerance Framework. e framework provides standards for work around identity, diversity, justice and action. e students recognized that it is their responsibility to speak up with courage and to work collectively to make a difference. rough activities such as thinking routines and project-based learning experiences, first graders learned the importance of listening, consensus-building and decision-making in order to carry out positive change. When reading stories with strong characters, students made connections to their own personal stories, challenged their thinking and broadened their ideas about how they can be change makers. e first grade class interviewed Latin teachers who have taken action for change, including Fiona Deeney, who started the lower school Maker Space, and Kari Gruber, who introduced the Girls on the Run program to lower school students. Both were examples of how a personal passion can be an inspiration for change. ey also heard from third graders who wrote letters to city aldermen about their concerns and from Head of School Randall Dunn who spoke about his actions around promoting school spirit at Latin. First graders left the interview inspired and asking, "How can we make a difference at Latin?" At the end of December, first graders held an exhibit for their families to see projects they designed for making a positive impact at school. Examples included how to make less waste in the cafeteria, teaching JKers how to zip coats in the cold weather, organizing a library for all first grade classes to use, and how to make new friends at school. How can we make a difference at Latin? – First grade students 6

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