5th graders bridge faith gap through shared lessons

Micah Lapidus, director of Jewish and Hebrew Studies at Davis Academy, knows that staff and parents fret over the challenges their children will face in the real world. “We worry about their exposure to people with different narratives and ways of thinking,” he said. For the last four years, Lapidus has had fifth graders at the Sandy Springs school face those differences head on through an interfaith workshop that brings Davis students together with youngsters from the nearby Mount Vernon Presbyterian School. The latest session, held at the end of April, had about 80 10- and 11-year-olds working together on projects and quizzing each other on faith questions. “We let them know we’re not just going to play games,” said Lapidus. “We’re exploring how people can talk about their religions and traditions, and how to listen and ask questions in a respectful way. And that conversation is not controlled by rabbis and ministers; the students speak on the basis of their own experiences.” To get the conversation going, both schools worked on team-building projects and put together a book of faith-related topics, from what it means to keep kosher to holiday traditions. By the end of the session, students had a deeper understanding of the two religions. And Lapidus says Davis kids often learn another lesson. “Our kids also don’t realize how interesting Judaism is until they explain it to another person,” he said. “They wind up with a greater appreciation for their own inheritance.” Laura Fillyaw, dean of student life and operations for fifth and sixth grades at Mount Vernon, heard Davis students explaining “why they wear those little hats” and her crew detailing “why that guy is hanging on the cross thing.” “The kids really are sort of isolated and don’t know much about other faiths,” said Fillyaw. “It was great to see that Davis looks just like our school. They have morning prayer just like we do, even if the words are different.” Davis student Sadie Hoff also learned that the different faiths are more connected than she realized. “I thought it was important for us to realize that even if we believe in different things, we are more similar and connected than we might think,” she said. “I learned a lot through this opportunity, and I even made new friends.” Building community was the goal for Mia Chadwick, an 11-year-old Mount Vernon student. “We mixed together to learn about each other’s religion,” she said. “I learned about Judaism and different holidays they celebrate. I learned to be a part of that community. I think it turned out really well.” Information about the two schools is online at davisacademy.org and mountvernonschool.org.

MOUNT VERNON PRESBYTERIAN SCHOOL Students from Mount Vernon Presbyterian School visited Davis Academy for a morning of interfaith conversation that included team building projects and collaborative projects.