I am writing to share some exciting news related to a program we will be bringing to Scarsdale during the 2026-27 School year. The program is called Common Circles: Moving to Understand Ourselves and Others, and it is an immersive research-based experience that blends art, technology, and storytelling to explore our shared humanity, build community, and teach the lessons of the Holocaust. In a moment marked by growing polarization, rising antisemitism, and increasingly dehumanizing rhetoric, the exhibition celebrates identity and strengthens historical understanding while inviting reflection. Above all, the experience encourages dialogue and fosters a space where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.
We have been working to bring this opportunity to our students for nearly ten months. The exhibit was installed at Rye Country Day School during the 2024-25 school year, and I, along with building leaders and teachers, had the chance to visit. We were struck by the power and effectiveness of the learning experience, and eagerly discussed its potential applications to our learning community. At the end of last school year, the installation moved to Southern Westchester BOCES for the summer. I organized our annual summer Administrative Council leadership retreat to take place there, and our full leadership team had the opportunity to take part in the experience first-hand. Since July, we have been discussing the potential value of bringing this opportunity to our students, and we have invited faculty and parent leaders to the experience as well. We have finally reached a point where we can announce a personalized version of Common Circles, The Common Circles Experience: Scarsdale, thanks in part to the generous support of SSEF (Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation).
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About the Experience
In the first section of We Are Scarsdale! Bridging, Belonging & Building Community students and visitors are invited to go beyond first impressions through art, photography, optical illusions, and interactive installations that reveal the multi-layered individuals in our shared community. Visual storytelling invites reflection on how we see one another and the world around us, and how easily both people and history can be reduced to a single story. By beginning with this exploration of connection, the experience prepares learners to encounter Holocaust history not as distant events, but as deeply human stories.
The second section is called Voices Against Hate: Lessons from the Holocaust, and is presented in partnership with USC Shoah Foundation’s Dimensions in Testimony. Visitors to this portion engage in life-like conversations with Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and Jewish American liberator Alan Moskin. Using advanced interactive technology, visitors ask their own questions and hear firsthand testimony. This section also provides historical context, examines antisemitism past and present, explores Jewish life and peoplehood, and highlights local stories of hope and survival that connect global history to contemporary community life. Because visitors first encounter one another as layered human beings, they can meet Anita and Alan not only as survivor and liberator, but as unique individuals. It is also important to note that this second portion - Voices Against Hate - holds the potential to change over time to examine other historical events. Thus, Common Circles is an experience that can evolve and develop with input from our rich, multicultural community.
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Curriculum Connections
The Common Circles exhibit will build on our Developmental Relationships work and serve as a powerful catalyst for our existing curriculum, creating a cohesive thread of empathy, interdependence, and inquiry from elementary through high school. It will logically extend the identity work at the elementary level, and connect to the practices emphasized in Responsive Classroom. The exhibit also mirrors the core values students experience at SMS through units of study that emphasize culture, identity, and understanding of diverse experiences and hardships faced by different groups throughout history. This work helps students build a deeper awareness of society and develop empathy for a wide range of perspectives. These concepts are also embedded in creative ways throughout our classrooms and addressed through the advisory program.The exhibit complements the rigorous work on civic engagement and global interdependence that takes place throughout the disciplines at SHS, and invites consideration of audience, purpose, perspective, and bias when confronting opposing viewpoints. In short, Common Circles serves to foster school environments grounded in respect, connection, and a shared commitment to understanding one another and the uniqueness of our experiences as individuals and members of a community. |
The Exhibit is Us
One of the things that makes this experience unique is that it is customized to our community, with multiple opportunities for teacher, student, staff, and community involvement. One of the more powerful components is The Stories We Live in which members of our school community and broader community are featured in five different outfits that reflect aspects of their lives. These images are surrounded by words that characterize the individual. Other ways that members of our community can contribute include:
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Common Threads: What Do We Have in Common - a tower of trading-card style biographies
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Stories of Hope & Survival - personal narratives from members of our community or those connected to them about their experience.
- Interactive biography - a tool that enables students to create their own digital interactive biographies.
- Student artwork is also a central component of the exhibit.
The image below provides a glimpse into some of these components.
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Next Steps
On Monday, May 11th, the Board discussed a significant gift from the SSEF to help fund this exciting experience, alongside funding from the current year (25-26) budget. We Are Scarsdale! will begin its life at Scarsdale Middle School next school year, likely in late fall or early winter. There will be opportunities for students across the District to engage with the experience, as well as parents and members of our community. As our planning ramps up, we will provide additional information along with a call to participate. In the meantime, you can learn more about this exciting project by visiting https://commoncircles.org/, or by visiting the recently launched We Are New York! version of the project at Museum of Jewish Heritage (36 Battery Place, New York, NY).
In partnership,
Dr. Drew Patrick
Superintendent
Scarsdale Public Schools
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