Celebrating the Global Stories that Shape Our Community
Cultural Celebration Week reminded us that global connection is not just something we teach, it is something we live every single day within our own community. This week we honored the many cultures that shape who we are at CDS, an IB World School.
Have you ever really looked at our logo? It is in our name for a reason.
Carrollwood Day School.
World School.
As an IB World School, our mission calls us to cultivate principled entrepreneurial thinkers who are prepared to lead in a global society by enriching the mind, strengthening the character, and inspiring the passions of our community. We live that mission not only through the way we teach and learn each day, but by intentionally opening our students’ eyes to the world beyond our school walls.
What makes CDS uniquely special is that this “global society” exists right here, every single morning at drop off, inside our classrooms, on our playgrounds, and sitting shoulder to shoulder at lunch. This week, our students connected with their classmates whose stories look different than their own, and they explored cultures that expand the way they see the world.
During our Cultural Celebration Week, we invited our CDS families onto our campuses to share who they are and where they come from. Parents spoke about language and food and dress, and shared holidays that are cherished in their homes. Students learned about celebrations, rituals, and customs from countries far apart in distance but brought close through personal storytelling. They also explored cultures that live right here within the United States, showing students that diversity is not only global, but exists state to state, city to city, and story to story.
At our Early Childhood Campus, children experienced Diwali, Hawaiian traditions, Korean culture, stories from the Philippines, moments from China, and the colors and joy of Trinidad. Parents filled the week with activities that reflected their homes and heritage, and the children jumped into each new experience with curiosity and joy.
In our Elementary School, families shared culture from Brazil, Norway, Kansas, New Orleans, Hawaii, China, Aruba, India, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Classrooms were filled with music, language, keepsakes, and heartfelt memories that stretched far beyond the borders of any map.
The week ended with a performance that brought all of this learning into one powerful moment on stage, in a production titled Inquiring into Our Cultures. Students shared musical numbers representing France, Kenya, Austria, Canada, India, Germany, and Peru. They shared traditional Indian dance. And together, as one school, they closed with a grand finale called “Light a Candle for Peace,” a song that captured the message of the entire week, global unity.
Different stories. Different languages. Different traditions. One community.
Carrollwood Day School truly lives what it means to be a world school. And this week, our children saw that the world is not something they are waiting to meet one day. They are already part of it.