As the 2020–2021 academic year comes to a close, we’re taking some time to look back and reflect on the year we’ve had. While the year brought unprecedented challenges, our School maintained its sense of community through tremendous efforts from students, families, faculty, and staff. Here, we look back at 10 highlights from this remarkable year.
ECFS Confronts Antisemitism and Racism at Virtual FAD
Fieldston Awareness Day (FAD) offers the Fieldston Upper community the opportunity to explore critical themes and ideas outside of the classroom through workshops, discussion groups, and visiting speakers. This year, ECFS engaged with the difficult and necessary truths of bigotry, especially how to confront and combat it — all in a virtual setting.
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3 Ways Fieldston Middle is Connecting to the Election
Fieldston Middle students may not have been old enough to vote in the 2020 election, but they were keenly aware of the events shaping their world. In the first trimester, students immersed themselves in projects and lessons that helped them to become educated citizens and ethical leaders.
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Fieldston Lower’s 2nd Grade Changemakers
The study of individual activists — César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sonia Sotomayor, to name a few — provides a foundation for students to take on their own activism. Popular topics include climate change, ocean pollution, homelessness, and animal rights, as well as specific issues like conservation efforts around red pandas. This year, 2nd Graders worked together to tackle their areas of interest, creating multidisciplinary projects as agents of change.
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Innovating Music at Ethical Culture
The COVID-19 pandemic required faculty across all disciplines to reimagine their curriculum, and music was no exception. Due to the increased risk of viral transmission, singing and recorders — typically mainstays of music class — were no longer available to students learning in the classrooms, necessitating some creative changes.
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ECFS Honors Latinx Heritage Month
From culture-based curriculum in Spanish class to a Town Hall covering terminology and experience, students, faculty, and staff across the School’s four divisions paid tribute to the cultures and contributions of Latinx people.
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Form III Students Bond and Build Impressive Snow Sculptures
On a Wednesday afternoon in February, Form III students gathered on the upper field to drink hot chocolate and cider, munch on their favorite snacks, play a few lawn games, and — the highlight of the event — compete for who could build the biggest, most creative snow sculpture.
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Fieldston Middle Finds Joy and Connection in Virtual Clubs
Even in the hyflex model, hosting clubs and student activities remains a top priority. Clubs offered at Fieldston Middle are tied to the School’s mission and promote an enthusiasm for learning and artistic expression. They also provide a space where students can forge meaningful friendships as they continue to develop critical social-emotional skills.
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A Day in the Life as 1st Graders Return to Campus
In this real-time look at an Ethical Culture 1st Grader’s day on campus, the innovative curriculum and the intricate logistics required to actualize it truly shine.
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Kindergarteners Playfully Tackle Math at Fieldston Lower
Kindergarten math is really an introduction to numbers — and to ways of thinking about numbers. At Fieldston Lower, the math curriculum exemplifies the School’s core tenet that education should be playful, focusing on games and fun conversations alongside exposition.
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8 Ways You Didn’t Know ECFS Is Going Green
The School has already taken major steps in its commitment to environmental sustainability — and some of them may surprise you.
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