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Lise's Lens
Lise's Lens: October 2, 2025
This week I am reading about Massachusetts graduation requirements, thinking about our Jewish families, and watching a video about crop art!
WHAT I'M READING
wbur: In place of MCAS, panel envisions requirements that high school grads be 'thinkers' and 'leaders'I have been reading about the work Massachusetts lawmakers have been doing to reassess state graduation requirements since voters eliminated the MCAS requirement. In their vision of a graduate, panel members describe the need for “thinkers,” who can “critically examine information to draw connections, question assumptions, infer meaning, and shape new solutions,” and leaders who “engage respectfully and productively with diverse individuals and groups" and "understand and can articulate their strengths, needs, and impact, navigating the world with curiosity and empathy." Sounds a lot like our CSW grads, if you ask me! The article also talks about how important it is for students to feel like their learning is directly tied to their future endeavors, which is another pillar of CSW’s model.
WHAT I'M THINKING ABOUT
Jewish High Holy DaysThis week I am thinking of all of our families observing the Jewish high holy days, which culminate today with Yom Kippur. As this article in The Boston Globe highlights, it is a challenging and complicated time to be Jewish in the United States right now, and I hope that all of our students are able to feel the safety and comfort that comes with community here on campus and in other spaces with loved ones.
WHAT I'M WATCHING/LISTENING TO
Crop Art!
How cool is this video highlighting the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s new exhibit, “State Fairs: Growing American Craft?” The art world can feel really elitist and exclusive, and so it’s nice to see artisans who may not otherwise be recognized have their work highlighted in this way. I had never heard of crop art before, and I love how the artist Liz Schreiber describes it as a sort of “technology backlash,” because it’s slow, natural, done by hand, and incredibly meditative. I’ve never tried it, but am pretty sure I would love it.
WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE
If you haven’t yet had the chance to do so, I highly encourage you to check out the exhibition currently on display in the Thompson Gallery: The Once and Future African Goddess by Karmimadeebora McMillan. You can check it out at the End of Mod Show or as part of the faculty-led Gallery Walk on October 10.
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.