Global Studies

Implicit in our mission is the idea that we must prepare students for the global society. The world is rapidly changing, and raising children who can cope with the complexities of human interactions is critical. We strive to instill in our students a moral obligation to be citizens of the world, we ask them to think critically about global issues, and we encourage them to embrace a broad spectrum of cultures and peoples.

At Swain, our Global Studies program is two-fold. At various grades levels, curriculum is specifically focused around the aforementioned goals. For example, Kindergarten students study biomes as a way of integrating science, history, and reading and writing. Second graders go on "field trips" throughout the year to places such as Kenya, Canada, and India. Fifth graders explore the continent of Asia, including a short conversational unit on Mandarin Chinese.

As a school community, we often invite speakers of various backgrounds to share their experiences. In addition, the month of April at Swain is called Global Awareness Month, and features our Social Studies Fair (for grades 4-8), annual community-wide Earth Day celebration, speakers, and a community service day.

This year our theme is "Globally aware. Globally prepared."