Global Changemakers
We’re developing globally-minded learners
Through programs such as the Model United Nations Club, a multi-year partnership with students and faculty in Malawi, Africa, or the Global Nomads-Middle East program, our students are encouraged to think globally, but act locally in their communities.
Our students are prepared to think critically, compassionately, and collaboratively about the world.
Model United Nations
Whether presenting at the local or global level, Derby’s Model UN Club continues to broaden the definition of what students view as their community, preparing students for the future in a unique way, and expanding the horizons of what students thought was possible.
Regular appearances at conferences in Boston and surrounding areas often result in students returning to campus with esteemed awards and recognitions. In the last three years alone, students have won over 50 awards at conferences competing against student-diplomats from the Park School, Charles River School, Milton Academy, and the Roxbury Latin School, among others. Our students experience the thrill of presenting alongside thousands of colleagues from around the globe during the Change the World International Model UN Conference, a three-day event at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City.
In the last 3 years, our Model UN Club has won over 50 awards
As an academic elective, Model UN allows our students to develop negotiation strategies, improve their public speaking and communication skills, and explore current global issues firsthand. The experience is unscripted, so students must sharpen their interpersonal skills and react to changes and challenges in the moment in order to be successful. During this process, students begin to see themselves as part of a larger global community, becoming future leaders and global changemakers.
A mere 7,600 miles from Hingham, the children and faculty at Malawi Children’s Mission Academy in Malawi, Africa inspire our community in countless ways.
Malawi
Through a multi-year, student-to-student partnership with MCM that starts in the Lower School and continues through the Upper School, students develop sustained, authentic global relationships through our Pen Pals program, yearly Global Read Aloud events, and curricular collaborations that culminate with FaceTime calls to connect our cultures, share stories, and learn together.
Through travel grants, Derby faculty members have visited their campus to share curriculum development, teaching strategies, and have even exchanged sunflower seeds to plant in each other's gardens, returning to Derby with new perspectives and a stronger global connection.
Global Nomads
In Grade 8, our students partner with schools from the Middle East and North Africa regions to collaborate on curriculum that allows them to examine their own global identities. The school partnership culminates with a Global Citizen Project that has the students thinking globally while designing local projects to bring change to their own communities. Through FaceTime calls with partnering schools, students are able to build relationships that span across the globe.
