Lise's Lens: April 25, 2024
It will not surprise you to learn that yesterday’s Earth Day festivities have been very much on my mind. This week, I also share a very honest book review!
WHAT I’M READING
- I just finished reading Julia Alvarez’s latest book The Cemetery of Untold Stories. Let me first admit that my dream of being able to write fiction or even non fiction will most likely never happen, thus I admire anyone who has the perseverance and determination, and even more the capacity to write beautifully. This makes me loathe to give any negative feedback to anyone who has a book out there. Yet here I go. I think the book has an interesting start but with absolutely banal writing. Almost something from a middle school writing assignment… I was frankly shocked. However, the novel picks up and the characters and plot dance well with each other — and thank goodness for magical realism of sorts or this wouldn’t have worked. But that’s Alvarez’s forte. A special nod goes out to her effort of making reality out of the Haitian and Dominican issues and history. Even if ever so lightly, she hits the mark. It’s worth the read, but I’d wait until it comes in paperback.
WHAT I’M THINKING/TALKING ABOUT
- At CSW, we observe Earth Day with a mix of learning and doing. Our keynote and special guests for this week were the inspiring folks from Our Children’s Trust, a groundbreaking nonprofit organization that empowers youth to secure their legal rights to a life-sustaining climate. You can learn more about their visit here. Our learning also involved a variety of student-organized workshops (one of which was led by my husband Garry, who recently retired from a career at the World Bank, where he focused on sustainable development). I also had the privilege of stopping into a number of other workshops, and I was so impressed and inspired by what I saw. What an incredible day!
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
- I am watching YOUTH v GOV, the Netflix documentary that tells the story of the Juliana v. The United States of America case and features this week’s special guests from Our Children’s Trust! If you weren’t able to attend any of our events this week, this moving film will give you a little taste of what we experienced. It’s impossible to walk away and not feel driven to take action in some way.
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
The Sustainability Committee hosted a lunchtime chat with our special guests this week. It’s pretty amazing that our kids had this opportunity to connect so directly with these incredible changemakers.
Campus News
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Photography Teacher Anne Rearick Releases New Book
Photography Teacher Anne Rearick has release a new book of photograpy, Gure Bazterrrak (Our Land). Published by the Deadbeat Club Press, the book will begin shipping this winter and will be available during Paris Photo at Polycopies, Porte de Solférino.Read More -
Anny '28 Wins International Film Awards
Read MoreThis past summer, Anny ’28, worked as executive director and cinematographer for two documentary films titled Shaolin Youth and Confined, earning multiple international awards for her efforts.Anny, a boarding student from China, spent her summer filming Shaolin Youth in the Shaolin Temple, a thousand-year-old temple, where she focused on different groups of Chinese teenagers, showcasing China's special martial arts program and the impact it can have on the growth of teenagers from low-income families. The film focuses on the stories of underserved families and troubled teenagers in rural China who are hoping to change their fate by learning martial arts, showing the dedication and love these teenagers have toward martial arts, and the influence martial arts can have on a person's growth. -
CSW Welcomes Students from Panama
Read MoreLast week CSW welcomed 12 students from C.A.D.I. Bilingual Academy in Panama, where our students spent some time during the mod abroad trip to Panama in mod 5 last school year! They were joined by C.A.D.I.'s Director and administrators. During their visit from October 17-21, 2024, they stayed with CSW host families and attended classes with student ambassadors. -
Mod Break Wilderness Trips are Back!
Read MoreMod break Wilderness Trips are back in action with the first one taking students to the White Mountains! During the 3-day trip, students were split up into two groups based on student preference. The introductory group made its foray into the Kinsman Mountains with History and English teacher/Wilderness Trip Guide Aidan Wang, while the advanced group tackled Mt. Garfield with Science teacher and longtime Wilderness Trip Guide Kevin Smith.
Meet CSW Students
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.