GCP Symposium
Senior, Abby Donohue, poses next to her presentation
May 22, 2016
On Wednesday, May 18th, at 6PM the Global Citizenship Program’s annual Global Symposium was held in the Hingham High School cafeteria. This event serves as way to showcase the hard work of the Global Citizenship Certificate Program seniors and to increase cultural awareness.
As part of the requirements for the certificate program membership, senior members must complete a project focusing on a global area of study and include it along with a portfolio which demonstrates proof of their GCP involvement.
Seniors set up visual exhibits of their projects on tables spread throughout the cafeteria and attendees of the event could mill around and view seniors’ presentations.
Topics explored included: Japanese traditions, healthcare for Syrian refugees, pasta, the Palestinian and Israeli relationship, and the Millennium Development goals, among many others.
Students creatively integrated food, artifacts, photographs, and various other items into their presentations.
The event was catered by local cheese shop Bloomy Rind, who provided a wonderful tapas spread, enjoyable for all who attended.
Later in the evening, a dance group Piotrek and Nathan performed. Their routine intertwined Cuban history with the music itself. The pair classified their routine as, “talk a little bit, dance a little bit.”
The first dance they performed was the rumba, specifically, the Yambú, a form of the rumba which represents elders of the community and allows for the man to showcase his skills.
After a short but mesmerizing demonstration, the two next danced the Guaguancó, a type of rumba which was described as “flirting game between younger men and women,” in which, a woman rebuffs her partner’s flirtatious advances in a lighthearted and teasing way.
The last form of rumba the two performed was the Columbia which was faster than the previous two dances. The very quick and intricate dance serves as a way for performers to show off acrobatic skills and is so lively that the drummer must attempt to follow the dancer, music does not necessarily lead the performance.
After the showcasing of different styles of rumba, Piotrek and Nathan showed off various important Cuban instruments including the clave, which is present in nearly all Cuban music.
The importance of music in terms of Cuban history was also discussed. Piotrek and Nathan describing music as, “a voice for the slaves.”
The two concluded their dynamic performance with several forms of salsa, the last of which was, Casino, a type of Cuban salsa, which combines elements of son and rumba and involves lots of moves with twisted unity.
Every Monday in Boston, the two help instruct others on how to dance at Salsa in the Park, an event mentioned at the Symposium, which is open to all who are interested.
After the dance routine, it was time for the presentation of certificates. Before the actual presentation of the certificates started GCP Senior president, Teresa Burns, gave a quick speech.
Teresa began her speech by providing background on the GCP program and what drew her to it stating, “Students genuinely have a curiosity in global affairs,” and continuing with, “That’s what I love about this club, I’m always learning more.”
Her speech ended with the impassioned and bold statement that, “in GCP I regained my love of learning.”
The advisers of the Global Citizenship Certificate Program are Ms. Roth, Ms. Pollard, and Ms. Garland.
Ms. Roth, the head adviser, began the actual presentation of awards by congratulating seniors on their hard work and acknowledging their “countless hours furthering their understanding of global issues and the world.”
She, along with the rest of the advisers, then, explained a bit about each senior, their goals, and what they accomplished in GCP, before presenting them with their certificate of completion.
Teresa Burns, Isabel Allen, Maddy Townsend, Allison Walter, and Matthias Ling were also all significant for winning additional awards for “outstanding portfolios.”
Overall, it was an eventful, globally- aware, and exciting evening for all in attendance, while also a rewarding send off for the seniors.
