In Middle School, diversity and global themes are woven into the curriculum in numerous ways. For instance, themes of student perspective/identity, bias, stereotypes, and prejudice are examined through advisory, book clubs, and summer reading. In seventh-grade World Geography, students personally connect with numerous speakers from more than 30 countries from around the world. They also participate in an annual Immigration Day and hear from immigrants who share their stories, learn from an Immigration Services officer, and participate in other curricular activities intended to better their understanding of this issue. Students make connections with the required English reading of Ask Me No Questions and other interdisciplinary work in World Geography, science, Spanish, and math. Our mission is to foster healthy dialogue about the issues that emerge; not to tell students what to think, but to teach them how to arrive at their own conclusions and then how to discuss their ideas in a civil manner. Opportunities expand further in Upper School. Freshman Seminar, a required course designed specifically for ninth graders, addresses various issues and developmental needs of young adolescents including harassment awareness, identity development, difference, and cooperation. In addition, all freshmen are required to attend Diversity Awareness Forum sessions. Through English and history electives, students can dive deep into courses such as Philosophy, Faith, and Fiction; Education for Social Justice; African-American History; and 20th Century Women’s History. As a school, we embrace the term “glocal,” which emphasizes understanding the global diversity and resources in the community where one lives prior to exploring the world beyond our borders. In addition to curricular connections, students can join a wide range of global-themed extracurricular clubs, and students are regularly involved in community international festivals and events, and opportunities to meet with diplomats and honorary consuls. Our commitment to developing cultural awareness in our students provides them with the skills, experience, confidence, and motivation to play an active role in a world that is becoming ever more interconnected.
Dr. Neely Kaydos-Daniels ’91 is Prepared for a Global Pandemic
D
r. Neely (Cornelia) Kaydos-Daniels ’91 is
the associate director for strategic information within the Division of Global HIV and TB at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Throughout her career she has directed studies of infectious disease outbreaks such as influenza, Zika, and HIV/AIDS, among others. Neely credits Country Day for putting her on the path for a career dependent on cultural awareness. “In Upper School there were some great electives available,” she remembers, “such as Introduction to Psychology with Mr. Levine and Russian Literature with Mrs. Britt. Those opportunities to try something new opened my eyes to the fact that there would be lots of opportunities going forward about which I knew nothing at the time. By the time I
graduated I knew I had the ability to tackle any field of study in which I had interest.” Neely went on to Rice University and studied anthropology, where she learned “how culture can influence our perception of our lives.” After college, Neely found herself reading fiction centered on infectious disease outbreaks and an Ebola outbreak was in the news at the time. “I was hooked on the concept of infectious disease outbreaks at that point.” After earning an MSPH and PhD at UNC-Chapel Hill, Neely became an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the CDC working in applied epidemiology, disease surveillance, and outbreak investigation.
Tackling COVID-19
“I have been actively working on the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways and for different countries since January. It is exhausting and I’m as tired of COVID-19 as everyone else,” she says. “Understanding the culture and institutions and infrastructure are really important as we work to mitigate the pandemic. What works in the U.S. will not necessarily work in Ethiopia and vice versa. For example, it is an important part of the culture in Ethiopia that meals are shared among family members or friends from a single plate. So, it may be more difficult to implement physical distancing in Ethiopia than, say, mask-wearing by the public.” Neely acknowledges the challenges associated with implementing protocols to protect against the virus. “I understand that it’s really difficult for all of us to change our routines, change our lives. I see more and more people wearing masks, so that makes me happy.”
2019/20 ANNUAL REPORT
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