Greenview Middle School fifth and sixth grade students in the district’s STEP-UP gifted program demonstrated curiosity, critical thinking, and communication skills through their recent participation in the Philosophy4Kidz program sponsored by the Department of Philosophy at John Carroll University. The first part of the program included classroom discussions led by John Carroll University undergraduates during which students learned about noteworthy philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle and engaged in conversation around deep and interesting topics using substantial questions each philosopher posed.

Greenview students then joined peers from other participating schools on the campus of John Carroll University for a Philosophy Symposium featuring keynote speaker, Dr. Jana Mohr Lone, a published author, Affiliate Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington, and Executive Director at PLATO, a Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization. During an interactive activity led by Dr. Lone, Greenview students were organized into groups of two and paired with five seniors from the Cleveland School of the Arts to engage in conversations around music and the nature of beauty.

The symposium provided students the opportunity to deliver presentations onstage of what they learned through participation in the Philosophy4Kidz program this semester. Fifth grade students presented “newspaper articles” featuring the name of their favorite philosopher, a question or concept of that philosopher which most resonated them and the reasons why, as well as some fun information about themselves including personal interests and future goals. Sixth grade students presented their final projects which involved researching, writing, and conducting a debate. At the conclusion of the program, Dr. Lone shared with Mrs. Arnold that she was extremely impressed with the students’ work! Thank you to Mrs. Arnold and Mrs. Kozak for providing this enriching learning experience for our students. Congratulations to all participating Greenview students for their hard work and outstanding presentations!