MB Diversity Works Sept. 2015

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Moses Brown School

MB Diversity Works

September 2015

As a Friends school, we adhere to the Quaker tenet that every human being possesses a unique inner light reflecting dignity and worth. Our mission is to support education and teaching within our community by initiating activities and discussions that promote understanding and respect.

We are responsible for building an environment of trust where each individual can feel safe.

We are committed to the challenge of confronting issues of injustice, discrimination and intolerance. – Moses Brown Diversity Mission Statement

David Roche will work with MB students during a day-­‐ long visit to campus, November 17. th

4 Graders organize and run their own Del’s™ fundraiser to bring David Roche to campus

David Roche to Visit Moses Brown Born with a severe facial disfigurement, David Roche sees this aspect of himself as an opportunity to share his uplifting message of diversity and acceptance. He has spoken with schools and other communities all over the world, as well as being featured in several films.

For a number of years, he has Skyped with our Lower School students and his combination of humor and sincerity brings the children from feelings of dismay and discomfort to care and appreciation for the need to 'take a second look' and see beyond the surface of a person. In April of 2015, several of our 4th graders were so moved by their conversation with him that they decided they wanted to raise funds to bring him to Moses Brown this year. David will be th working with students in all divisions during his day with us on Tuesday, November 17 .

Visit http://www.davidroche.com for more information on his life and work.

Diversity facilitators back by popular demand Alison Park and Liza Talusan will work with the upper school students this year, complementing other activities and conversations that will be led by internal members of the community.

Liza Talusan, Director of Diversity, Equity. and Inclusion at The Park School, will provide sessions of small-­‐group training th with all 9 grade students, moving them through interactive activities in which they discussed different issues of identity with each other. The training will finish with the students creating a collaborative visual definition of diversity.

Alison Park, nationally recognized consultant on diversity and inclusivity,

Alison Park, center, will return November 16-­‐17, making it her third visit to Moses Brown.

was so well-­‐received during her two visits to campus during the 2014-­‐15 school year, that we are bringing her th back on November 16 & 17 to build on the seeds she planted last year. In particular, she will re-­‐engage with upper school student leaders to help

them consider ways they can model and promote inclusive practices in their work. She will support ongoing faculty and staff efforts to craft cultural competences for our students, and will facilitate an evening event with parents on November 16.

Moses Brown School

September 2015

Parent Diversity Committee The Parent Diversity Committee meets once a month and is open to all parents. It seeks to promote thought–provoking conversations about the ways that issues of identity and inclusivity are being explored and supported at Moses Brown.

Last year, parents were able to experience first–hand how Moses Brown empowers our children to u se what they are learning to inspire others. As part of our Diversity Talks series, six Upper School student leaders gave a workshop especially for p arents on how all aspects of our identity shape our lives.

This year the Committee will continue to work with the Parent Association and the All School Diversity Committee to explore the power and challenges of difference in its many forms. Our first meeting this year is Thursday, October 22 at 2 pm in the Middle House Conference Room. For more information about the Parent Diversity Committee, please contact PA Outreach Clerk Ayla Çevik: acevik2012@gmail.com

Lower School peer mentors explore identity together This fall, the Lower School Diversity Committee is excited to be expanding an after-­‐school program, piloted in 2014-­‐15, in which students explore and celebrate various aspects of their identities.

Through games, art projects and picture books, interested lower school students are given the space and time to consider what parts of their identity feel particularly special or important to them. Issues of acceptance and inclusivity, and of being an upstander for others, are woven throughout the monthly meeting activities. By pairing older elementary students with younger ones the program has an added mentoring element, which was particularly powerful for last year’s participants.

As one young girl stated, "When it was time to go up to our meeting, I felt excited because I looked forward to the activities, working with the teachers, and spending time with my partner."

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Friends Meetings: A tool for perspective sharing How does a Friends school respond to difficult events in our community and in our country? Meetings for Sharing and programmed Meetings for Worship are a powerful vehicle for exploring topics that are timely and thought provoking. These gatherings provide a respectful, open structure in which insights and opinions can be shared with fellow community m embers.

Often, adults or students begin the meeting by laying the groundwork for sharing with important background information on the topic at hand. The remainder of each m eeting is shared silence in which members of the community who feel so moved, can stand and offer their thoughts. Last year, there were upper school Meetings for Worship on • • • •

Ferguson, MO and Staten Island grand jury decisions Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Responses to an internal racist incident Day of Silence, GSA presentation

These m eetings have been and will continue to be key opportunities for our students to speak their truths, learn from each other and integrate the perspectives of those with different life experiences into their own world views.