Senator Gillibrand Visits Cathedral

Lower and Upper School students enjoyed their morning this past Friday with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand as she spoke about her newly published children’s book, Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote. At the Lower School presentation, the Senator spoke about her background growing up in upstate New York, drawing inspiration from the political career of her grandmother. She then read excerpts from her book and answered questions from the Lower School students. In the days leading up to her visit, 3^rd grade students in Ms. Zapreva’s science class wrote letters to the Senator advocating for reduced plastic use, which the Senator received during her visit.

 

The Upper School presentation was more forum-based. Prior to Gillibrand’s visit, members of “Allies Challenging isms” crafted questions based on research they had done on the Senator. The Upper School then voted on the questions they liked best. Questions ranged from “What are your proudest accomplishments as a Senator?” to “How would you fix the immigration system?” Senator Gillibrand and her team were complimentary of our students’ questions and our building and campus. Following the presentations, the entire student body was thrilled to receive signed copies of the Senator’s book, courtesy of a generous donor. Students could be found in the halls Friday afternoon absorbed in its pages.

 

Seventh graders in Ms. Choudhry’s Humanities class also wrote letters to the Senator after her visit. Beverly D. ’20 wrote, “Your book really helped me understand more about the pioneers of feminism, how the word got out, and why they chose voting as a first step…When you came to school, it reminded me that I need to choose who I vote for... it’s my beliefs, my right to vote, and it’s my job to get active and stand up for what I believe in.” For more letters from the 7^th grade, please click on the links below.