Chopin’s “Nocturne” plays in the background as Shipley’s Lower School students file into the gym for Friday morning assembly. After a brief welcome from Lower School Head, Maggie Granados, the students turn their attention to a map of Bryn Mawr that has been projected onto a screen. Using Google Earth technology, the map slowly starts to zoom away from Bryn Mawr and then pans eastward towards Europe, where it zooms in on Poland.

“Dzien dobry,” says Shipley parent Renata Joseph in her native Polish. The students repeat the foreign greeting, which will become familiar as they use it over the course of the next two weeks to greet their teachers and peers.

This assembly is part of Lower School’s Greetings from Around the World Program, which aims to raise awareness of and respect for different cultures. The program grew out of the School’s study of Respect and features presentations by members of the Shipley community who are from other countries.

In addition to learning greetings, students learn about the customs, history, and people of each country. A display in the Lower School front lobby contains cultural items and a map highlighting the featured country. So far this year, Shipley’s Lower School students have learned about India, Taiwan, Liberia, Sweden, and Italy. They also learned about Native American culture.

Third grade teacher Susan Reilly says, “The children are absolutely mesmerized by the majesty of our world. We make 'pit stops' on each continent, touching upon the culture, traditions, geography, and such. We discover what is the same and what is different, and really cultivate a better respect for humankind. In third grade, children are beginning to think more independently, so we are guiding them out of the box (Bryn Mawr) and into the world. Their enthusiasm for this discipline is proof in the pudding that they are ready to begin the process of becoming compassionate participants in our world, as our Shipley mission pledges.”