Our Global Town

Welcome to our very first Town School for Boys global newsletter. We are excited to share pictures and stories of how our community works with and connects to our greater global and glocal community. Take some time to enjoy the pictures, read the stories that intrigue you and discover what makes us "globally" special.

Last summer, teachers Rachel Dionne, Hilary McArthur and Chris Mizell travelled to the community of of Chilamate, Costa Rica to grow as global educators. Immersing themselves in the community, they participated in a home stay experience, visited with key community members and assisted in local schools. For more about their 14 day experience read their blog here. Rachel, Hilary and Chris have brought back invaluable experiences from their journey and have implemented global connections and skills into their curriculum.

Seven boys, (Kai Lord, Zeke-Rubin Moore, Davis White, Nic Pantelick, Charlie Raisin, Harrison Greene and Blayden Lee) accompanied by their parents, joined forces, and went on a mission to help change the world with BuildOn. An organization founded in 1991, BuildOn builds schools in some of the most impoverished countries in the world.

As Trek Ambassodors to Nicaragua, they collaborated and created an AWESOME fundraising and build team. Raising $48,000 for building materials and on-site expenses to support host families, these boys exceeded their $44,000 goal!

With the funds raised, they made their way to a small village called Kokomo in Nicaragua. They resided in homestays with their host families eating a simple meal of mostly rice and beans. As is common in the village, the homes were made of plastic walls and corrugated iron roofing. Some of the boys experienced living in homes where animals (chickens, pigs and frogs) shared the living quarters. Hand in hand with the villagers, they laid the foundation of the school with the first bricks!

The boys returned from this mission with a deeper appreciation of attending an institution like Town School where it is easy to take for granted the physical space of the school and the faculty who teach them. They were humbled yet honored to share their skills, enthusiasm and energy with children who lack the most basic need: a physical building to learn in.

"I really enjoyed this project, and I think that as we have grown to be 8th graders, the projects we do apply more to real world topics. This has pushed me to take more care in my work and create meaningful products for very real dilemmas such as Ebola. I spent most of my Tuesday night finishing our poster and video at school, something I probably wouldn’t have done if the overall goal of the project hadn’t meant what it did. These kinds of projects are also open-ended and allow the students to contribute in their own ways--in my case, making a video." -Ben H

Check out a website created by 8th Graders and Links to all important data and information.

Who is Hindo?

The 5th Grade Humanities class has been reading "The Circuit" by Francisco Jimenez, and studying Human Rights. Our mission in this project was to raise awareness of Human Rights issues happening in the US and abroad.

Standout Videos:

1. A Horrible Day for an Amazing Woman by Mason C
2. The High Price of Cheap Fashion by Caspar S
3. Rosa Parks by Dominic S
4. There is a Problem Happening in Afghanistan Today by Brady E
5. Free Speech in America by Cassius S
   
6. The One Who Fought For Change by Noah M
7. A Day in the Life of a Human Rights Victim by L
8. I Want My Rights! by Wilks T
9. The Day It All Began by Ben B
10. The Wrong Man by Sean H
11. Ziegfried and the Sugar Cane Protest, by Benjamin K

See the entire Youtube Playlist here.

As part of a plant and food study, 2nd grade boys learned about issues surrounding access to healthy food. Boys soon realized that kids all over the world and even in San Francisco lacked access to healthy foods. Feeling empowered they took action. From making posters to orchestrating a food drive, second graders learned what being a change maker is all about. Read more on the second grade blog about this project and more.

Jennifer Klein of World Leadership School in Boulder, Colorado visited Town School for Boys. In addition to meeting with the teachers who participate in this year's Virtual Teacher Institute, Jennifer coached teachers from many disciplines on projects from their classroom. In addition, she led a professional growth workshop on driving questions and helped create global mission statements for each grade level.

As an all boys’ school, Town provides a rich, challenging and rigorous educational experience that addresses the distinctive energy levels and developmental styles of boys. Town values being a diverse community that nurtures integrity, sensitivity and respect in its boys, and prepares them to become productive and contributing members of an ever-changing world.

Website: www.townschool.com
Location: San Francisco, CA, United States
Phone: 415 921 3747
Twitter: @TownTigerAlumni