Volume 25 • Fall 2013
Mentoring Moments
Launch at Trinity Episcopal School The Reverend Loris Adams, TES Chaplain
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he thought had been rolling around in my spirit for several years - how exactly are we supporting the racial development of our students in the Lower School? Each classroom had specific ways, but our Lower School students of color did not appear to be connecting well with each other. One Friday a second-grade teacher called me into her classroom. Her students were doing their usual postchapel journal reflections. Chapel that day had been about differences, and she was challenged by what she had discovered. She walked me around the room, allowing me to see the entries of several students until she subtly led me past her three students of color - two African American girls and one Latina girl. All three young ladies began their reflections on being different with stories about their racial heritage. Not one other student in the class had any mention of race or culture in their reflection. Why? Because these three young ladies think about race daily. It is an important part of who they are as they live in a world where they are constantly made aware of this “difference.” If you think about it, it is a perfectly reasonable endeavour this embracing diversity with the youngest of our scholars. We don’t wait until middle school to hold them to high expectations in regards to academics, communal ownership and responsibility.
Jabari Spruill, TES Head of Middle School
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hirteen years ago, two middle class African American filmmakers from Brooklyn, NY, Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, enrolled their five year old son, Idris, at the Dalton School, one of the most rigorous college prep independent schools in New York City. Dalton had recently strengthened its commitment to build a more diverse and inclusive school community and its institutional goal was to have their school mirror the racial makeup of New York City.
Nor is middle school the time when we become spiritual co-journeymen with our students. So why delay opening up the fullness of joys, triumphs and challenges of embracing diversity until middle school?
How blessed we are to have a community that honors each member of the body... Last year, after researching the need for diversity support in the Lower School and attending National Association of Indpendent Schools (NAIS) sponsored training workshops on diversity initiatives in independent schools, Trinity launched Mentoring Moments. Mentoring Moments is an affinity group and mentoring program for students of color in grades 3-8.
Because Trinity acknowledges that students of color experience natural feelings of kinship with one another, we chose to use the success of the Middle School affinity groups
(The Young Men of Color and The Young Ladies of Colors) to assist with shaping the Lower School program. Students in grades 3-5 are matched with mentors in grades 6-8 to form a support network. The students meet once a month to do activities around building relationships and forming a strong sense of self and community - encouraging each other to remember that even though they are in a minority as it relates to their number, their voice and ideas are just as important, just as relevant and just as valued as all others in our community. There are sometimes tough questions and challenging conversations as we “hug the porcupine” that is embracing diversity. I remind them though their journey may not always be easy, by faith all things are possible. As the Mentoring Moments program expands, we look forward to introducing and producing activities and ideas for our allies* that run parallel to the work of those in the Mentoring program - in this, we will fully embrace the prickly beast that is the heart of diversity work. How blessed we are to have a community that honors every member of the body, encouraging each of us to do and be who God has called and is shaping us to be. * An ally is someone who actively supports and defends the rights and dignity of individuals from social groups other than their own especially when those individuals are not present.
American Promise
Race, Class & Opportunity in Independent Schools Joe and Michèle were attracted to Dalton because they wanted to provide their son the best education possible and because they were frustrated with their attempts to navigate the public schools in New York City. Idris began Kindergarten at Dalton with his best friend Seun, as one of few black boys in a Kindergarten class of 90. Joe and Michèle began to document their journey from Kindergarten through high school graduation with the hopes that their investment would pay off with great opportunities for advancement and success after high school and college.
The documentary has created considerable buzz as it has made the rounds on the independent film circuit. American Promise won a “Special Jury Award” at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and will be broadcast on the PBS Point-of-View series in 2014. The filmmakers also use American Promise as the centerpiece of a national campaign to address the “achievement gap” - the disparity of educational measures between the performance of groups of students defined by socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and gender. The “achievement gap” is especially prevalent among AfricanAmerican male students.
Over thirteen years, viewers see the boys and their families struggle with issues of identity, stereotypes, authority, authenticity and safety. The boys’ paths diverge after 8th grade, but both develop resiliency (continued on page 2) and find success on their own terms and colleges that meet their needs.
Creating Scholars, Nurturing Spirituality and Embracing Diversity in Charlotte’s Center City