In November 2019, student facilitators successfully held their first of four Moments of Understanding in which all students in the Upper School participated in discussions surrounding the theme of identity and allyship and ways in which we can all support our LGBTQ+ community.

In February 2020, the second Moment of Understanding took place. The theme was The Power of Language & Discussions on Racial Privilege. Marlo Thomas, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Georgetown Day School, spoke with both Upper and Middle School students on this very important topic. 

In November 2020, the Upper School virtually hosted bestselling author Ishmael Beah (author of A Long Way Gone: A Memoir of a Boy Solider) which chronicles his experiences as a child soldier during the 1990's Sierra Leone civil war. Beah's stories offered a global perspective and opportunity to communicate how his lived experiences have led him to find connections across differences and beauty in our shared humanity. His talk set the stage for an hour-long Narrative 4 "Story Exchange" where the entire high school participated, online, one-on-one and in groups—sharing across grades and backgrounds that have shaped their lives, experiences and perspectives. 

It's never too early to start the conversation! This fall, our Lower School will be incorporating a diversity curriculum called BREATHE (Be Ready to Embrace All Through Hope and Equality).

By opening the conversation to our youth and creating a safe place, we believe that we can overcome the biases that seep into our society and help our children to understand and embrace others.  Learning, not only how to communicate, but how to listen is an important part of being a thoughtful member of our community and helping to build a world of love—not hate.

Objectives:

• Help students learn to listen to each other.
• Facilitate a safe space for students to talk openly about feelings and curiosities.
• Teach students how to have constructive conversations about difficult issues and personal reflections.

Middle School students will take part in conversations called AEIOU (Awareness, Empathy, Inclusivity, Difference, & Understanding). AEIOU is our advisory curriculum that focuses on diversity and inclusion. Through AEIOU, we create safe spaces for students to explore their own identities and the identities of others. 

Through these conversations, we aim to equip our students with a nuanced understanding of how one’s myriad and intersectional identities affect their walks through the world and empower them to be upstanders and changemakers.

In the fall of 2019, all teachers and division heads spent a day of professional development learning from Marlo Thomas, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Georgetown Day School, about the power of language and how to address derogatory terms in classic literature.

In 2020, all SCH faculty and staff will be taking part in exercises and discussions that help unpack and understand the many facets of inequity, injustice, and oppression that we are all working to dismantle, as well as the role that aged institutions across the country have played.

Lower School faculty participated in a full day of professional development to learn about the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum and spend time in small groups discussing how to fit this critical work into the curriculum in order to teach it this year. The work is designed to help students gain knowledge about race as it has been constructed in the United States, and aims to help students acquire an awareness of their own racial socialization and skills for engaging in productive conversations about race and racism.

Upper and Middle School faculty engaged in professional development to prepare for advisory conversations about the Black Lives Matter movement, the disproportional impact of Covid-19 on Black and Brown Americans, and the wave of social media postings regarding students’ experiences at independent high schools in Philadelphia and around the country. 

SCH is also home to many student-led clubs which actively participate in discussions and host events, seeking to make both the SCH community and the world a more inclusive place.

Upper School student groups include the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee (DEI), Black Student Union (BSU), Alliance Group, Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), Voices, SAGE (Student Advocates for Gender Equality), and more. 

Middle School student groups include Boys of Color, Minority Engagement, Gender and Sexuality Alliance, and Diversity Club. 

Every year, we also host a Multicultural & Diversity Festival. This is an afternoon when SCH celebrates cultural diversity and global harmony through food, music, dance performances, crafts, and cultural displays. In early 2020, we hosted our 18th annual event!