Students Advocate for Themselves and Others in the EC and Red Clusters

Posted on Monday, January 27th, 2025

During the month of January, students in the Early Childhood program (Purple Cluster) and in the Red Cluster worked together to explore the themes of activism and “speaking up” on behalf of others. Stephen Gaynor School’s mission reads, in part, “Students learn to advocate for themselves and others while actively building an inclusive community, a sense of belonging, and a belief in their own possibilities.​” That philosophy is apparent throughout the school, from our youngest students in the Purple Cluster to our oldest students in the Blue Cluster. 

At Gaynor, our students tackle important issues like activism and social justice in developmentally appropriate ways. In this particular project, Red Cluster Head Teacher Jordan Thaler collaborated with Purple Cluster Head Teacher Hannah Chiappisi in the Hudson Room. They realized that while Ms. Thaler’s class was studying “activism,” Ms. Chiappisi’s students were learning about “speaking up,” so they brought the classes together!

In our Early Childhood program, students are encouraged to look beyond their own wants and needs to learn about “speaking up” for what is right and advocating for others. Ms. Chiappisi said, “This year, the Hudson Room did our own version of a ‘peaceful march’ by sharing our ‘signs of hope’ with the younger Willow Room students and the older Red Cluster students who go just a bit deeper into activism. As a group, students thought of messages that rang true to each individual. Some [students] felt passionately about the environment while others held on to our lesson about segregation and why it’s important to ‘play all together.’ This was directly connected to our conversations about advocating for ourselves and others, or ‘speaking up’ for what is right.” 

Ms. Chiappisi’s Purple Cluster students came to Ms. Thaler’s Room 202 to present signs they had created, and the Red Cluster students saw firsthand how anyone can be an activist. The EC students brought signs that showcased what they feel passionately about. Each student shared with their older peers why they created the sign they did. Signs ranged from “Take Care of Animals,” to “Spread Fairness,” to “Do Not Litter!” 

Ms. Thaler was excited to have the visitors to Room 202 to reinforce the lessons the Red Cluster students have been learning about activism. In the Red Cluster, students learn about similar themes of equity and peaceful protest, but at a higher level of vocabulary and nuance. Whereas the EC students might learn the concept that it’s important to “play with everyone,” Red Cluster students learn about current and historical activists and what they have fought for. Ms. Thaler said, “There’s more nuanced vocabulary. [Red Cluster students] learn the language of injustice, and what an injustice is. For example, having to do your homework every night is not an injustice, but our class read Malala’s Magic Pencil, and learned that in some countries, girls can’t go to school. The students learn the concepts of ‘unfair’ or ‘wrong’ to describe the issues activists are fighting for.”

Ms. Thaler continued, “We dive into what [specific] activists are actually fighting for, and we also delineate environmental activists versus social activists — that there are different things that people can fight for. They could fight for a group of people, or they could fight for the environment and our globe.”

This collaboration between the Purple and Red Clusters reflects Gaynor’s mission to cultivate empathy, inclusivity, and a sense of responsibility in our students. Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Stella Mulatu said of this project, “It’s a beautiful expression of Gaynor’s core values. These themes of advocacy and ‘speaking up’ underscore the ability of our youngest learners to make meaning of seemingly complex topics and the expertise of our teachers to engage our students in deep and impactful conversations in an age-appropriate way. What important messages for us all to live by each day.”