Community Day School named as Partner School in Facing History and Ourselves’ Innovative School Network
Community Day School has been selected as a Partner School in the Facing History and Ourselves’ Innovative Schools Network in recognition of the school’s leadership in social justice, human behavior, and Holocaust education. The Innovative Schools Network comprises 80 public, private, and parochial schools worldwide that weave content and teaching strategies from Facing History and Ourselves throughout their curricula across grade levels and disciplines. As students explore the complexities of history—from the failure of democracy leading up to the Holocaust to ongoing struggles for civil rights in the U.S.—they wrestle with the ethical choices we face today<p/>
“As educators, our most crucial responsibility is to help our students make positive choices and contribute to their communities and the world,“ said CDS Head of School Avi Baran Munro. “We’re honored to become a Partner School in the Facing History and Ourselves’ Innovative Schools Network and look forward to this transformative opportunity to build on our integration of Facing History content, themes, and pedagogy throughout our school.”<p/><p>
Middle School teacher Jackie Goldblum is the Facing History liaison for CDS and traveled to Boston for training this July together with several colleagues. Goldblum also serves as a Holocaust educator with Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs: A Holocaust Sculpture, a landmark memorial on the CDS campus. She teaches an after-school program based on Facing History themes to inner-city students through a partnership with Higher Achievement Pittsburgh.
CDS students currently study the Holocaust, human rights, and related topics in 7th and 8th grades. As a Partner School, Facing History teaching strategies and lessons will be integrated throughout the school in an age-appropriate way in history, language arts, library, and other disciplines. They also will be part of a new program for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and integrated into service-learning opportunities for CDS students.
“The Facing History approach helps students develop critical thinking skills and fostering academic and civic growth,” Goldblum said. “They come to understand that history isn’t inevitable and how our individual choices collectively shape our lives in vital ways.”
Community Day School
Community Day School is a nurturing, academically excellent age 3 through Grade 8 Jewish day school in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. For more information, visit comday.org.
