Why I Love CDS

A lasting strength of CDS is our strong sense of community, backed by one of our core learning beliefs: We believe that building relationships within and beyond our campus fosters friendships, leadership, and social justice. Community is emphasized in many classroom projects where students are supported in learning more about each other, as well as themselves and the world around them.

Last month, CDS was proud to present to the community the “I Love SF Because…” urban art collaboration, where students, teachers, staff, and neighbors came together to write on a mobile wall what they love most about San Francisco. Inspired by this boundless spirit of unity, Sixth and Seventh Graders embarked on a video workshop where they wrote and directed their own story highlighting the things they love most about CDS. Under the guidance of the wall’s project manager, Brian Rashid, students used a hands-on approach to sharing different perspectives and experiences into a holistic narrative. 

Throughout the course of this assignment, students utilized another learning belief: We believe in using language, technology, media, and information responsibly to communicate and inquire as critically engaged global citizens. Students learned about plot development through storyboarding and scripting while coordinating scenes and dialogue. Along the way, students absorbed practical skills in step-by-step film creation as the fundamentals of a production pipeline. 

The result of this workshop was a two-minute video that can be seen here, where the students themselves owned the narrative of CDS. Creativity and bonding with fellow classmates took center stage for this meaningful experience to continue to prepare them as they continue to make their marks in the world at large.

We are very proud of all the hard work and dedication placed in this special project!