Officially, Cecilia Eppler is a Spanish teacher in Gilman’s Lower School. But that title doesn’t encompass the tremendous impact she has on students — not only in her classroom but around the globe. Throughout the school year, Eppler finds fun and exciting ways for Gilman boys to explore different cultures, develop empathy, and improve communication skills.

• Through the International Card Exchange, schools from around the world create holiday cards and mail them to other participating schools. Teachers share photos of students making cards and receiving the ones that were mailed to them, exchanging messages of friendship and goodwill.
• Through the International Teddy Bear Exchange, boys in prep-one exchange a “bear ambassador” with a partner class in another country. The bear accompanies the students during daily activities in school, and, at home, the boys take photos and write diary entries on behalf of the stuffed friend in their care, documenting its adventures in the foreign country, and then sharing them with the partner class. (Watch a video of the arrival of Kamil, Ola, and Ala from Poland!)
• Through the “A Day in the Life” program in second grade, boys are paired with fifth graders in Wroclaw, Poland, and are tasked with sharing their family and school culture with one another.
• The Cultural Exchange project for fourth graders matches them up with first grade students in Girona, Spain. The boys create short videos to share with their partners and participate in live Zoom sessions together, where they practice speaking Spanish.
• The Lower School GreenHounds Club is just one of more than 100 groups from around the world that take part in the Tulips and Daffodils project, where boys plant bulbs and share the flowers’ growth progression with other participants. Students learn about weather, plants, and friendship. This club also raises awareness about environmental issues and helps students understand the importance of taking care of our community and the planet. Just recently, inspired by one student’s passion for saving coral reefs around the world, the GreenHounds adopted two corals that will grow to replace damaged reefs close to Fiji.

“These projects help students see themselves as part of a connected world,” said Eppler, noting that the partnership with schools from a variety of cultures allows many students at Gilman to feel represented. “They discover similarities and differences with children in other countries, which broadens their understanding and appreciation of diversity.”