Pepe Garieri, a facilitator with Egale Canada, spoke to Middle School students about the importance of language, being an ally, and gender identity, among other subjects. Egale is an organization that aims to improve and save lives through research, education, awareness, and advocating for human rights and equality in Canada and around the world. The Arts Council prepared colourful canvases that were displayed in Staunton Gallery, and the Theatre Tech Council provided music during break times. The Library staff put together a curated book display in front of Towers Library. The new Makerspace was used to create Pride pins for staff members to customize with paint.
Parents, students, and staff driving to campus were greeted with the Pride flag shown on our new LED sign at the front gates. “All members of the Andrean community deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We are celebrating Pride to show that there is no place for discrimination at SAC,” says Emily Keating, Upper School math teacher, Assistant Head of Flavelle House, and one of the organizers. “The decorations and visuals in the Staunton Gallery show our commitment to creating a safe place for our students, staff, and all members of the community. We look forward to continuing this initiative in the coming years.”
The Laramie Project film telling the story of the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming was shown during Upper School advisory.
The hope is for students to take the reins in subsequent SAC Pride Weeks, but for now, many positive discussions have been sparked at all grade levels. The initiative emphasizes our growing focus on student and staff well-being and the sense of belonging created through a caring learning environment.
All available staff gathered on the steps in Staunton Gallery for a group photo under a balloon rainbow.
ORGANIZERS: Randi Berman, Carolyn Bilton, Trevor Coll, Dennis Jumaquio, Emily Keating, Emilia Macdonald, Kathleen Naroski, Chris Papalia, Emily Philp-Tsujiuchi, John Richardson, Claudia Rose-Donahoe, Samantha Scheepers, Matt Wyatt x Fall 2021 The ANDREAN
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