From ECC to Middle School, Students Explore Global Holiday Traditions

As the winter season has unfolded, our school community has been embracing the diverse ways families find meaning and connection. Led by Maxime Sinal, director of DEIB, students across all grade levels have participated in a multi-sensory exploration of global traditions, ranging from Christmas and Hanukkah to Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, and Pancha Ganapati. Families have also visited classrooms to talk about their own traditions.

In recent assemblies and classroom activities, younger students have been exploring the idea that every family’s way of celebrating is unique and meaningful. By reading stories like Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama and viewing images of celebrations from Hungary to Ghana, students are discovering that "traditions vary widely and that each one holds its own beauty," wrote Sinal in a message to families.

This exploration also includes a "shared table" experience, where students enjoyed Hanukkah gelt and candy canes as familiar seasonal symbols and plantain chips, representing foods that hold significance across Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

In the Middle School, students engaged in a Holiday Traditions Scavenger Hunt, designed to balance self-reflection with outward curiosity. The initiative is rooted in the philosophy that "belonging does not happen by accident. It grows when diversity is named, differences are respected, and equity shapes whose stories are heard," said Sinal. 

By researching both their own family heritage and a holiday unfamiliar to them, students practice honoring self and honoring others, a core tenet of the school's DEIB work.

These efforts, say Sinal, are a "gentle invitation to practice those values" that ensure every child feels seen and valued. The school invites families to continue these conversations and shared reflection at home to help build a community defined by curiosity, kindness, and care.