Maps to Globes: A Journey in Grit, Precision, and Global Perspective

The Maps to Globes project predates many of us at Harbor Day School and has become a hallmark of the 7th grade experience. I remember my own first year here, jumping into the project just as each new 7th grade class does. I can still picture myself unrolling a 36” x 24” sheet of chart paper, punching holes along the left side, and carefully measuring each inch north to south and east to west to create the global grid of latitude and longitude.

From there, the work only deepened. Students trace stencils of continents and countries, some even hand-drawn, onto their grid. Japan and the Dominican Republic, for instance, are often drafted with care. They then label major bodies of water, islands, landmasses, rivers, mountains, deserts, and both the Seven Natural and Modern Wonders of the World. I recall labeling the Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, Sea of Japan, and drawing in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia, all placed as accurately as possible using geographic coordinates.

After drawing and labeling comes the elevation-based color coding: blues for oceans, greens for lower elevations, yellows for deserts, and reds or browns for mountains. Completing this project, especially as a newcomer to both California and HDS, was no small feat. But I proudly hung up my finished globe by Grandparents' Day, ready for the community to see.

Each year, our 7th graders rise to the challenge. Despite the inevitable growing pains, every student completes their globe and displays it with pride in our hallways. What makes this project extraordinary is that it gives students a hands-on, immersive understanding of world geography far beyond what a digital map or app can provide.

In a world where Google Maps can instantly show us any location, Maps to Globes teaches our students to engage with the world more intentionally. They discover countries they may not have known existed and form connections to global events, history, and human geography. They develop a foundational understanding of why people live where they do and how geography shapes civilization.

You have likely seen videos where tourists in Times Square are asked simple geography questions like, “Which country is the Great Wall in?” And the answers are both humorous and alarming. Our students, thanks to this project, are prepared to answer such questions with confidence and clarity.

Anaximander, the Ancient Greek philosopher and one of the world’s earliest known cartographers, would no doubt be proud of our 7th grade cartographers at Harbor Day School. The next time you pick up a theme park map or hop on a city tour, channel their spirit. Take a closer look at the world around you, and like our students, become a cartographer yourself.