“Respect people.” “Respect boundaries.” “Exercise.” One by one, on a recent morning in the meadow, each student in Jeff’s HyLab held up a bright green sheet of paper and made a statement about what they can do to help build a culture that supports health. Each eighth grader then walked into a larger web of rope in the meadow (socially-distanced) to illustrate how each individual choice supports a whole. 

“It’s not just about the science,” Jeff explains that Global Health at Hyla focuses on the triangle of biology, journalism, and human organizations. Eighth graders in HyLab started the year examining human organization. How do we keep each other from getting sick? For example, an organization built on hierarchy depends on authority to maintain health while in a web network everyone bears responsibility to each other to keep the organization strong. Later, HyLab students will study disease transmission and participate in epidemiological exercises. 

Although the year 2020 has had multiple examples of health crises, there are many reasons for teaching Global Health, now in its third year at Hyla. Health is a “really rich zone of thought”. It is complex and interdependent: physical health can’t be separated from other factors such as mental health and social justice. As Jeff describes, Global Health also emerged through the evolution of HyLab and through listening to the eighth graders’ exit interviews where they shared the integration and application they experienced at Hyla across the curriculum. Interdisciplinary units grounded in science help students recognize how interconnected the world is. Studying global health impacts the students personally and they participate in advocacy. Colorful bathrooms signs made by last year’s Global Health classes are a great example! And your student just might use their voice to remind you to wear your mask…or get some exercise…