What if a simple holiday tradition could empower students with leadership skills, build global awareness, and make a real impact on the community? At Jackson Park Elementary, the Festival of Trees is doing just that.
Learn more about Jackson Park Elementary’s global learning journey:
The Festival of Trees
Each holiday season, Jackson Park Elementary welcomes families and community members to the Festival of Trees, a hands-on learning experience that fosters cultural awareness and social responsibility. Every grade level decorates a tree with symbols, artifacts, and ornaments representing a different region of the world. Students take on the role of educators by preparing the displays and sharing their research and insights with family members as they explore the event together.
Each grade’s tree is sponsored by a different charity, reinforcing the connection between local action and global impact. Families and community members are encouraged to vote for their favorite tree, with each vote costing $1. All proceeds are donated to the charity that receives the highest number of votes. This initiative empowers students to take meaningful action, demonstrating how their learning can directly benefit their community.
The event also features a food collection drive that provides bags of food for families in need, a mitten-and-hat station offering winter essentials, and an opportunity for students to interact with Santas representing different cultural backgrounds. By engaging in service-oriented activities, students see firsthand how their efforts contribute to the well-being of others—an essential lesson in leadership and global citizenship.
The Impact of the Festival of Trees
Beyond being a festive event, the Festival of Trees is a model for experiential learning that develops career-ready graduates. By participating, students enhance their ability to communicate effectively, think critically, and collaborate with others—skills that will serve them well in any career path.
One of the festival’s most significant outcomes is how it reinforces the connection between classroom learning and real-world impact. As students research, design, and present their trees, they develop a deeper sense of place and identity while also gaining a global perspective. They take ownership of their learning, strengthening their ability to explain ideas clearly, engage an audience, and advocate for a cause—all essential workforce skills.
Beyond academics, the Festival of Trees fosters financial literacy and social responsibility as students encourage support for various charitable causes. At this past year’s festival, students advocated for causes connected to hospitals, medical research institutions, humane societies, and children’s learning clubs, demonstrating how local action can drive meaningful change.
The festival also serves as a powerful tool for building school pride and strengthening community relationships. Through service-driven initiatives like food and clothing drives, students and families experience firsthand how collective action can make a tangible difference.
By bringing together global education, service learning, and leadership development, the Festival of Trees is a prime example of how students can become active, engaged citizens—both locally and globally.
How the Festival of Trees Promotes Global Learning
The Global Leaders framework is a comprehensive career-readiness model that helps students develop durable skills essential for success in today’s workforce. At its core, the framework integrates:
- Global competencies: Durable, lifelong skills such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving help students navigate an interconnected world.
- Global teaching practices: Educators use instructional strategies that create the right conditions for students to apply academic content to real-world challenges, fostering deeper learning and critical thinking.
- Action-driven learning: Students take meaningful action in their communities, gaining hands-on experience in leadership, service, and civic engagement within their local and global communities.
The Festival of Trees embodies all three components. Students develop intercultural understanding by researching and presenting global traditions. They strengthen their leadership skills by engaging the community and advocating for charitable causes. They take action by organizing donation efforts, demonstrating their ability to lead and solve problems in their own communities.
By integrating global learning into a real-world experience, Jackson Park Elementary is ensuring that students are prepared—not just for academic success, but for their future careers, where adaptability, collaboration, and cultural competence will set them apart.
Expanding Learning and Impact at Jackson Park with Global Education
Jackson Park Elementary continues to innovate, finding new ways to integrate global learning into existing school priorities. For years, the school has hosted STEM Night, an event that brings students, families, and the community together to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Looking ahead, Jackson Park plans to incorporate global education into future STEM events, recognizing that today’s workforce values durable skills like creativity, adaptability, and cross-cultural collaboration.
By embedding global learning into events like the Festival of Trees and STEM Night, Jackson Park Elementary is preparing students for a future where they can lead, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to their communities and careers.
Global education is about more than understanding the world—it’s about preparing students to thrive in it. Learn how your school can integrate the Global Leaders framework to build career-ready graduates who make an impact.
Visit our Global Leaders page to learn more.
