Students Celebrate Literacy and Forge New Bonds on 3rd Annual Book Day

December 09, 2021

On Tuesday, November 30, Léman's entire Upper School participated in Book Day. This year marked the third annual Book Day and our fourth year continuing our "One Book, One Léman" tradition, an annual initiative with the goal of fostering inclusivity, encouraging the respect of diverse opinions and cultures, and forging new bonds and strengthening relationships with one another. 

Each spring, Middle School and High School students choose one book for their division which is assigned as summer reading. Those books are discussed and explored through faculty and student-led workshops and speakers on Book Day. This year, Middle School students focused on The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, and High School students explored Pride, by Ibi Zoboi.

The High School students' day began with a keynote speech by the author of Pride Ibi Zoboi who discussed the influences behind her book, a remix of the class English novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Zoboi explained that she wanted to remix the original novel to create a more contemporary love story that featured persons of color. Students had the opportunity to ask questions of Zoboi during a Q&A. Then, in groups of two or three, students created Google Slides presentations in which they explored one example from art, music, literature, film, fashion, or another medium that exemplifies the practice of "remix," which they then presented to their advisories. 

Following Advisory, students attended their choice of two faculty or student-led workshops which explored a range of topics including, "Gentrification in Harlem," "Jazz: the Godfather of Hip-hop," and "Two Distant Strangers and Dystopian Literature," among others. 

Middle School students began their day with a keynote speech by Mina Sharif, an Afghani activist and founder of the girls' mentorship program, "Sisters 4 Sisters." Ms. Sharif discussed her work and dedication to volunteer initiatives in support of Afghan youth. 

Students then split into groups for workshops based on the themes of Breadwinner, which tells the story of 11-year-old Parvana, an Afghani girl who must disguise herself as a boy in order to become her family's breadwinner after her father is arrested by the Taliban. The workshop titles included, "Escape Room," "Street Art & Identity," and "Empowering Women Through Sports," among others. Middle School students wrapped up the day with a screening of the film adaptation of Breadwinner, followed by a reflective discussion on the book and the film.