The Power of Inquiry: CDS 5th Graders Lead with Purpose and Heart at the PYP Exhibition
If you donated to the 5th grade Metropolitan Ministries drive this year, stopped to admire the booths in the elementary school’s character courtyard on Young Entrepreneurs Day, or came across a tweet online about one of our students connecting with their “changemaker,” then you’ve already seen a glimpse of something much more expansive. These moments are pieces of a powerful journey that our 5th graders undertake as part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Exhibition. The PYP Exhibition is a culminating event that students at all IB Primary Years Programme schools around the world participate in during their final year of elementary school.
Here at Carrollwood Day School, it is a celebration of learning, curiosity, and student-led action. This long-term, student-driven inquiry project invites our 5th graders to reflect on their learning across all elementary years and apply it in a real-world context. Working from a central idea each class selects at the beginning of each school year, they explore significant issues that matter to them, drawing on their research, organizational, and higher-level thinking skills as they investigate meaningful questions. They locate and analyze information, collaborate with peers and mentors, and identify ways to take positive action in their community. Whether they are writing poems in literature class, creating presentations during design technology, or teaching younger buddy classes what it means to be a changemaker, the work is rich, integrated, and purposeful, and it all ties into their Exhibition theme. It’s an experience that not only honors who they have become but prepares them for the depth and challenge of the IB Middle Years Programme waiting for them in middle school. And at the heart of it all is a shared understanding that real change doesn’t begin with sweeping movements, but with the courage to take that very first step.
Day One – Mrs. Monty's Class
Access to Education and Resources Play a Key Role in Shaping Futures for Individuals and Societies
This year, each fifth grade class explored a unique central idea, diving into issues that matter deeply to them and to the world around them. For Mrs. Monty’s class, that meant investigating how access to education and resources play a key role in shaping futures for individuals and societies. Their inquiry led them to examine the realities of poverty, its far-reaching impact, and the ways people can offer support through compassion and action.
Throughout the year, they formed a strong partnership with Metropolitan Ministries and Feeding Tampa Bay, two organizations serving those in need right here in our community. Whether they were volunteering their time, raising funds through products they created for Young Entrepreneurs Day, or honoring role models at the Changemaker Museum, their work was driven by empathy and purpose.
On Exhibition Day, they shared a moving skit that brought attention to the stress and hardship poverty places on children and families, especially within the school setting. Their showcase ended with a powerful moment as they presented donation checks to the presidents of both Metropolitan Ministries and Feeding Tampa Bay, tangible evidence of the impact a group of determined fifth graders can make. Following the exhibition, Mrs. Monty's class donated 267 pounds of food they collected to Feeding Tampa Bay, providing over 222 meals to our neighbors in need.
Day Two – Mrs. Kerr's Class
Open-Mindedness Can Shape How We Understand Health and Diversity
In Mrs. Kerr’s class, the yearlong journey centered on the idea that open-mindedness can shape how we understand health and diversity. Their inquiry led them to explore what it means to support neurodiverse learners, how technology affects well-being, positively and negatively, and how being open-minded can foster both empathy and success.
They partnered with their buddy classes to talk about positive self-talk and the power of perspective, even taking time to understand how their own brains work. Their learning extended beyond the classroom as they connected with organizations making a difference in our community. They visited Ages Equine Sanctuary to discover the therapeutic benefits of working with animals, explored the mission of Arts for Care—a nonprofit started by a CDS student to bring art to people with disabilities—and supported neurodiversity programs at BT Washington Elementary School.
On Exhibition Day, they presented a thoughtful skit that explored the impact of open-mindedness, the difference between equality and equity, and the importance of advocating for your needs. The funds they raised during Young Entrepreneurs Day were donated to the organizations they had built relationships with throughout the year, a final act of kindness in a project built on understanding and inclusion.
Day Three – Mrs. Rodriguez's Class
Sustainable Conservation Promotes a Healthy Environment
On the third day of the 5th Grade Exhibition, Mrs. Rodriguez's class took the stage with a creative skit that wrapped up a year of inquiry focusing on how sustainable conservation promotes a healthy environment. Their story began with a surprise twist: an alien abduction transported the class to a future shaped by unchecked pollution and environmental neglect.
As the students journeyed through this future Earth, they explored issues like deforestation, food waste, overconsumption, and coral bleaching, seeing firsthand the future consequences of today’s choices. But their story didn’t end in despair. The students discovered that change is possible and shared tangible ways to protect the planet, from conserving habitats and reducing food waste to protecting oceans and freshwater.
After the skit, the class transitioned to interactive stations designed to teach how each of us can make a difference. From a model of CDS reimagined with gardens, solar panels, tree-filled green spaces, compost bins, recycling stations, and outdoor classrooms, to practical steps to protect habitats and species and build a healthier future, we were able to get a hopeful glimpse of what our world could become if we lead with purpose and care.
This powerful moment was the result of months of focused preparation, from diving into research, learning from experts, strengthening collaboration, honing their voices, and real-world experiences at local organizations like the Community Food Pantry and Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Mrs. Rodriguez’s class emerged with a deep understanding that local action is the first step toward global change.
Day Four – Mrs. Atkins' Class
Power of Community Can Help Repair the Human-Animal Relationship
Day four brought us Who Wants to Be an Animal Activist?, a lively game show-style presentation led by Mrs. Atkins’ class, whose inquiry centered on how the power of community can help repair the human-animal relationship. With energy and purpose, students took us on a journey through their learning—sharing how natural disasters affect animals, the importance of the Animal Welfare Act, the role communities play in promoting animal well-being, and the global principles that shape animal protection efforts.
Their understanding deepened through a powerful visit to the SPCA, where they learned that millions of cats and dogs are adopted each year, and were introduced to 4 Paws, an organization that supports animals impacted by natural disasters. Their outreach extended to their 2nd and 4th grade buddies, with whom they created meaningful artwork inspired by their advocacy.
At their showcase, families were invited to explore interactive stations including a pet care booth, a care package assembly station, an endangered animals exhibit, and a display on animal welfare laws around the world. Each piece reflected the belief that when knowledge is paired with empathy, young changemakers can create a kinder, more compassionate world for all living beings.
Day Five – Ms. Lunn's Class
Balanced Communities Promote Sustainability and Survival
The final day of the 5th Grade Exhibition featured Ms. Lunn’s class, whose central idea explored how balanced communities promote sustainability and survival. Their skit followed two students flipping through TV channels, each revealing a powerful message about ocean health—from an interview with a marine scientist and dramatic scenes of sea life caught in pollution, to a sustainability-themed game show and a segment focused on improving recycling practices at school.
Every scene was imagined, researched, and performed by the students, showcasing both creativity and conviction. Their message was clear: the choices we make today are shaping the future of our oceans. Following the skit, the class presented an original poem titled The Vast Blue, a call for global action to protect ocean habitats and restore balance.
Their showcase continued with interactive stations where students explained the science behind ocean changes and global warming, the threats of overfishing and pollution, and the importance of protecting marine ecosystems. Their learning extended into action as they donated proceeds from Young Entrepreneurs Day to impactful organizations including The Ocean Cleanup, Oceana, and Clearwater Marine Aquarium, organizations working to clean our waters, safeguard marine life, and rehabilitate animals affected by environmental harm.
The Impact of Exhibition
On Exhibition Day, the entire CDS community comes together to witness the culmination of a year’s worth of learning, passion, and purpose. Our students lead the way, sharing their knowledge, ideas, and discoveries in presentations and interactive displays they have created themselves. But the real impact of the Exhibition isn’t just what they share with us, it’s what they carry forward.
It’s the confidence to ask hard questions, the courage to speak up, and the understanding that action begins with awareness. As they move into middle school and continue their IB journey in the MYP, they do so with a strong foundation, knowing they are already capable of shaping the world around them.
The Exhibition is not simply a final project. It is a milestone that marks the transition from learners into leaders, and a reminder that meaningful change often starts with students who are empowered to try. Our students are thinkers, they are doers, and now they are changemakers.