News Racial Workshops Facilitate Discussion
Boston Latin School Argo
Contributing Writer
To improve the social environment at Boston Latin School, BLS Black Leaders Aspiring for Change and Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K) led a teach-in on May 20, and BLS administration facilitated educational workshops called “BLS Talks about Racism” for students from May 23 to May 25. At the teach-in, members of B.L.A.C.K. hosted discussions and activities with the student body. There was a different workshop each period centered on different social issues, such as updates on #BlackatBLS, redlining, privilege and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Concerning the workshops, Edil Mohamed (III) says, “It’s good for students to take part in [the workshops] because they’ll leave the workshops with new knowledge about things they’ve never learned or even thought about. It’s really eye-opening when you think about it.” On a similar note, all grades partici-
pated in social justice workshops intended to educate them about concepts such as equity and racism. Each of the three days started with guest speaker Vernon Wall giving a presentation about stereotypes, privilege and equity during the first period. This was followed by open discussion in students’ homerooms spanning the next two periods. “I think they [the workshops] were effective. Some of the students, especially the sixies, haven’t ever been to a workshop like that before, and I think it was good for them to be introduced to conversations about social issues,” says Molly O’Halloran (III), a facilitator of the homeroom discussions. Students shared their thoughts about Wall’s presentation and played the “Word Game,” where groups of students were given eight letters and instructed to form as many words as possible using those letters. Certain groups received a better combination of letters than others. The goal of the activity was to represent the social
ZACHARY DIEUJUSTE (II)
By Lily Yang (IV)
Kylie Webster-Cazeau (I) and Meggie Noel (I) lead a teach-in. disadvantages and the resulting lack of opportunity that some people experience. “The classroom dialogues that followed [Vernon Wall’s presentation]— speaking only about those I facilitated— allowed the conversation to go deeper with a focus on the BLS community,” says Mr. Jim Levesque, who ran a homeroom discussion. Shortly after the homeroom work-
THERESA FLAHERTY (II)
Leadership Ceremony Honors Greatness
Seevak Fellows are honored at the Ceremony. By Theresa Macdonald (III) Assistant News Editor
The Boston Latin School Leadership and Service Awards Ceremony was held on May 16 to award, recognize and honor outstanding students, faculty, organizations, programs and fellowships within the BLS community. Candidates for each award were nominated by faculty, staff and classmates. The nominations were reviewed by Mr. Jim Levesque and Mr. Thomas Kennelly. After consulting with faculty, they selected the nominees that stood out the most in their significance and effectiveness in making a positive impact on BLS. “Boston Latin Students are leaders in school and the community. After the 2:15 bell rings, many of them enter a second chapter of their day as they walk into athletic practices, club meetings and service opportunities,” says Mr. Levesque. “They don’t return home until the evening, and then they tackle hours of homework. As an institution we want to communicate our values around leadership and service by celebrating these students and appreciating their contributions.” For every award, a donation of 100 dollars was made in the name of the recipient to the charity of their choice. Awardees who are graduating seniors each received a 250-dollar college scholarship. The Outstanding Contribution to Leadership and Service award was presented to a student in each class who has proven to be exemplary in their involvement and contribution to BLS and the community. The recipients of these awards were Stewart Amas (I), William Burnett (II), Annie Miall (III), Iman Hussain (IV), Hanyi Wang (V), and Graciela Berman Reinhardt (VI). Mr. Levesque comments on the nature of the awards, saying, “Students should aspire to win these awards not simply to gain recognition or a certificate, since leadership and service is [sic] not defined by attention or applause,” he says. “Students
should treat these awards as an incentive to get involved, to develop one's self outside the classroom, and to contribute to the lives of others. If this award ceremony encourages any student to explore leadership and service opportunities, its value has been achieved.” Their contributions include raising funds, volunteering, assuming leadership roles, winning competitions, being active in an important cause and much more. Amas created a reusable mentoring program plan for the Ikageng Program in South Africa, which cares for children whose parents have passed away from Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Amas’s plan enables older students to mentor younger children within the program and to help relieve trauma. “I love giving back to younger kids so that they can learn my mistakes...so that their future is easier and they are more equipped for the struggles that all kids face throughout life,” Amas says. The Student Program of the Year award was given to BLS Black Leaders Aspiring for Change and Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K) Goes Back In Time, a Black History Month showcase and alumni of color mixer held by BLS B.L.A.C.K. in February. The BLS Pre-Medical Society won the Student Organization of the Year award. Allegra Rollo (II), president of the club, says, “My officers were all extremely honored to be acknowledged in such a way— it helped us truly grasp the significance of our club in the BLS community and inspires us to grow to our fullest extent.” For her devotion to the BLS Youth Climate Action Network (YouthCAN), Ms. Catherine Arnold won the Advisor of the Year award. “Receiving this award reinforces my commitment to the work that YouthCAN is doing,” she says,”I am more determined than ever to work with YouthCAN students to try and establish a permanent culture of sustainability at BLS.” The Deitch Leadership Institute Excellence in Leadership award was given to
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Meggie Noel (I). Emily Gniado (I) won the Excellence in Service to the Community award. “Volunteering and being a leader in the community is important to the success and well-being of the community,” says Mr. Kennelly. “Students should be recognized for their leadership and contributions to the community and celebrated in front of their peers.” The winners of the Crystal Apple awards were also recognized and honored at this ceremony. This prestigious award, organized annually by the Student Council, is given to three student-nominated teachers who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and passion to their role. The recipients of these awards were Ms. Cheralyn Pinchem, Mr. Andrew Hamilton and Ms. Jessica Blacker. Not only were students, teachers, organizations and events lauded for their leadership and service, but the students who earned fellowships for this summer or the next academic year were also recognized and honored. Fellowships are a unique opportunity for students to work at a partnership organization. Although the fellowships have a wide range of what they involve, they all have in common the designation for ambitious and successful students and the promise of transforming students into leaders. “Each [fellowship] is different in how they incorporate fellows into their summer work but for the most part, all of our mentors have a profound faith in the abilities of BLS students,” says Mr. Daniel Gavin, codirector of the Seevak Fellowship. “Therefore, they will often times entrust them to some critical roles such as blogging, report writing, website management and even some elements of project management. This is a testimony to our partnership organization's trust in the leadership qualities of our fellows.” The fellowships offered at BLS are the Julius E. Babbitt ‘87 Memorial Fellowship, the Deitch Leadership Institute Fellowship, the John William Ward Public Service Fellowship, the Seevak Human Rights and Social Justice Fellowship and the Topol Peace and Non-Violence Fellowship. Annie Miall (III), says, “[This prestigious award] motivates me to continue serving my community and giving it 100 percent everyday. It's so important to give back to our community because we've been blessed with so many opportunities here at BLS which we wouldn't have anywhere else, so for me, community service is a way to say thank you for everything.”
shops, students debriefed in the dining hall. In order to create a more safe learning environment, students brainstormed answers to the questions “What should I do?” and “What should BLS do?” Anna Aldins (III), who helped during the workshops, says “I think the workshops were a good beginning to the conversation, but were in no way the end to the discussions.”
Fellowship Recipients Julius E. Babbitt ‘87 Memorial Fellowship Harry Caffrey Maffei Melissa Culmer
Deitch Leadership Institute Fellowship Amy Costello Angela Hourihan Anna Aldins Ashley Toy Crystal Sun Hannah Schleifer Irene Xu
Jacqueline Nguyen
Jason Zou Jisoo Kim Mark Vidal Melisa Lee Rubiyah Isa Shona Ortiz
John William Ward Public Service Fellowship Linda Qin Allyson Ping Chengfeng Shao Christina Yee Eduardo Rene Sanchez Eliot Usherenko James Coakley Kim Phan Laila McCain
Manan Pandey Margaret Sullivan Molly Griffin Nathan Oalican Rachel Shanahan Rosalind Delaura Samantha Gomes Stephen Caruso Van-Ado JeanNoel
Seevak Human Rights and Social Justice Fellowship Brendan Maguire Carolyn Searles Jameelah Julien Lulu Schmieta Mahlet Shiferaw Maya Greally
Samaya Hasberry Stella Harris Thao Ho Trevor Price Yasmine Jama
Topol Peace and NonViolence Fellowship Aimee Styklunas Angel Maldonado Cosette Newcomb Ethan Loranger Hazel Law Jada Taylor Jenna Lang
Kayla Riker Livia Kelly Max Tamer-Mahoney Maya Greally Stella Harris