AGC 7th Grader Featured In Behind the Docs Interview Series

“I believe we’re all going to have an open mind and we’re going to have different views of the world and how to help it.” – Tavaris West, AGC student

 Today, Microsoft Office published an interview with AGC 7th grader Tavaris West, about how Powerpoint helps him organize his independent research and share knowledge with his peers. “It felt good to teach other kids something I enjoyed and it seemed like they enjoyed it too,” Tavaris said of his presentation. Read Tavaris’s full interview here. This interview was in conjunction with Microsoft Office’s #behindthedocs series, a celebration of Microsoft Office’s 25th anniversary.

We are so proud of Tavaris for his poised and thoughtful interview, in which he brilliantly reflects the spirit of the Academy for Global Citizenship and The International Baccalaureate Programme. Tavaris is “such an amazing mentor to the younger kids,” says Angela, whose son is in 4th grade, “and an excellent representative of our school. [We] watch Tavaris at breakfast high-fiving the table of 4th grade boys, as many as he could get to! He’s a natural leader and the kids truly look up to him!” 

At the Academy for Global Citizenship, we work to create a learning environment that fosters mindful leaders who seek knowledge and understanding as a path to positive change. In service of this mission, the community of AGC parents, teachers and staff encourage students to embody the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile. The IB learner profile helps create a common language shared by students in 140 countries around the world as they strive to create a better and more peaceful world. 

From the time they set foot in our halls as Kindergarteners, our students learn to be: inquirers (to be curious and independent researchers), knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled (to act with integrity, justice and honesty) open minded, caring, risk-takers (to approach uncertainty with forethought and determination, to be resilient in the face of challenge and change,) balanced, and reflective. 

Tavaris and his peers have been using these terms to shape and describe their experience at AGC. These words empower students to hold themselves and their fellow students accountable for their role in our peaceful community. It is common to hear young students in the lunch room encouraging a younger sibling or peer to try an unfamiliar food item with the phrase “Be a risk-taker!” or to applaud a peer for being “knowledgeable” about a toy or game. 

Students at our bilingual school learn these terms in both Spanish and English and, in early grades, get help from associated hand gestures and songs, like this adorable example from our Dual Language 1st grade class, set to the tune of Gagnam Style. 

“Open minded kids don’t laugh at others / open minded kids are cool at all hours/ open minded kids try new things/ open minded kids are the thing.”

“Open minded, I recommended it for a better world… open minded, let’s make a better world.”

 

AGC on the Cost of Nutrition in Chicago Health Magazine

Chicago Health Magazine published an article yesterday which details some of the financial barriers to most nutritious eating habits. While no “quick-fix” exists, the article explores steps that families and individuals can take towards cultivating healthy, nutritious diets. Chicago Health asked AGC founder Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, Purple Asparagus founder Melissa Graham and Colleen Lammel-Harmon, the creator of a Chicago Parks District nutrition class to weigh in on the issue.

Ms. Graham, whose programs have encouraged healthy nutrition choices in the AGC community, offers suggestions for making affordable nutrition choices: cooking at home whenever possible and occasionally favoring beans and lentils over meat for protein.

Ms. Ippel explains the impact that AGC’s garden program has on our students and their families. Active involvement in a vegetable garden encourages healthy decision-making through fostering an understanding and appreciation of nutrition. “It’s amazing to me to see the passion and enthusiasm the students develop when they have ownership of the plan, what we plant and what we harvest,” says Ms. Ippel, ” “We often hear stories from parents [that] their child will identify healthier options at the grocery store.”

Finally, Chicago Health directs readers to an incredible resource, a shopping guide created by the Environmental Working Group to help plan good meals for less money. The guide includes educational materials, a budget workbook, recipes and a meal planner.

Click here to download the pdf before your next grocery run!