This past Wednesday, October 23rd, Scarsdale High School held its 11th annual Global Citizenship Day. Instead of classes, students participated in a wide variety of sessions ranging from a Holocaust Survivors to a Hot Topics Debate to Cybersecurity and more. “The intended message is to give students a wide array of topics focused on how…to be global citizens and be aware and empower them to advocate and answer the calls to action to make our communities stronger and more united,” Co-chair of the Global Citizenship Day Committee Meredith Dutra provided.

The day was created by Global Opportunities Coordinator Heather Waters twelve years ago. It began before Non Sibi Day and Pi Day started, so it was the first of its kind at SHS. For the first time, the day took place in January and only had three periods of workshops. From then it evolved into what it is today. “Each year it’s gotten bigger and bigger, and it’s taken on sort of different forms,” Waters noted.

However, putting on this day is not an easy feat. The committee begins brainstorming over the summer figuring out what the day’s focus will be. “We get a list of ideas from people that we know and organizations that we want to reach out to. And then we reach out to teachers and student groups and we compile a list. And then we put it all together…seeing who can come,” Dutra added.

Then comes scheduling and sign-ups. It can be a lot of work, but it is definitely worth the result. “To me, Global Citizenship Day represents the truest form of learning. Kids can teach what they are passionate about, and learn fascinating topics that normally would not be taught in class,” Isaac Tiomkin ’25 commented.

The Keynote speaker for the day was Emmy-winning journalist and founder of Mo News, Moshes Oinounou, who talked to students about media literacy. “We thought bringing in an expert that might be another perspective for teenagers to listen to, might have a different impact than from a teacher or from a parent,” Dutra said.

With the election nearing and the greater reliance on social media, especially in teens, media literacy is even more important. “We think media has become really politicized…And so that idea of thinking and listening critically is really something that all of your teachers are trying to enforce and develop that skill,” Waters pointed out.

Oinounou’s start is far from conventional. For more than 15 years, he worked at CBS Evening News, but when Covid hit, he found himself on the couch every day as more of a consumer than a producer of news. So, he decided to create an Instagram account. But what was originally a resource for him to inform his friends and families on daily events quickly turned into his next job. “I discovered suddenly I had 1,000 followers, 10,000 followers, 100,000 followers… And then I discovered even celebrities are following me. The Jonas Brothers started following me. Like Joe Jonas is DMing me. Nick Jonas is DMing me,” Oinounou described.

At Scarsdale High School, Oinounou engaged students in a discussion covering topics from identifying reliable sources to distinguishing between misinformation and disinformation. He clarified that misinformation—false information shared by anyone, intentionally or not—differs from disinformation, which involves the deliberate spread of falsehoods with harmful intent. Luckily, both problems have the same solution: “Figuring out the origin of the story is a good way to figure out whether something is true or not,” Oinounou explained.

Oinounou also highlighted the theme of media bias and its prevalence in today’s polarized political climate. “Bias is always described these days as negative. Oh my god, they have a liberal slant or a conservative slant or, you know, an anti-religious stand or a pro-religious slant,” Oinounou explained. Oinounou said that everyone has biases, but like misinformation and disinformation, it is the intent behind spreading the information that needs to be considered. He also stated that in addition to recognizing bias, it is important to approach news from different points of view to fill in the gaps of your perspective.

The unique annual tradition of Global Citizenship Day at Scarsdale High School has become ingrained into the core of the school. While students are constantly panicking for their next assessment or extracurricular activity, it is important to take a second to breathe, stay informed, and speak the language of empathy in a diverse community. “Our hope is that you go with these experiences of the four Global Citizenship Days that you’ve had to your colleges and beyond with just a little bit broader perspective of others,” Dutra explained.