CDNIS Community Hour was hosted on Friday, September 20th, and it was an hour full of collaboration and fun that brought students of all ages together. Upper School stu- dents took part in the morning meetings of Lower School students, and the two groups spent quality time interacting with each other by answering question prompts, enga- ging in group discussions and playing community-building games. Julian Cheung (G11) noticed that “the [younger students] were very respectful” and he had an “enjoyable time with them.” One activity that was particularly cherished by both the younger students and their older buddies was the game of Splat, where students learned each other’s names through an interactive test of reaction speed; it provided an opportunity for the Upper School students to revisit their fond memories in the same classrooms, playing the same games when they were younger.

Another activity involved students folding origami hearts and writing kind, encoura- ging messages to each other. Students were paired with buddies, and while they did origami together, they also bonded and shared a great start to the day together. Jaden Kung (G11) described the experience as enlightening because he gained a “better un- derstanding” of what it means “[to be] part of a greater community.” Students from different grades were walking around after the sessions with their paper hearts in hand, reading their funny, kind, or heartwarming messages throughout the day. This Commu- nity Hour was a chance for students at two very different stages in their educational journeys to simply have fun and further strengthen the connections within our school community.