圣. 卢克的公平领导会议

As St. 卢克的新任公平与包容部主任, I am charged with “enhancing a climate of equity and inclusion for all members of the school community and fostering a school environment equally conducive to the well-being and success of all members.我坚信这是“一个人的工作，但却是许多人的工作”.“在思考圣. 卢克的社区可能会共同努力，营造一种包容的氛围, it is important to start with “perspective-taking” and “perspective-giving” to better understand one another and the diverse needs of our community.

“倾听是一回事，理解和欣赏是另一回事.这些睿智的话语是圣. 卢克的前辈，一开始是扎伊尔利润21 股权领导会议. 

这是一个几乎能把圣. 卢克的学校社区, 首届公平领导会议, 和波利安娜搭档, created a unique platform to exchange our individual perspectives and shared Hilltop experiences. 主题进入学习:共同创建一个包容的社区，为我们所有人服务, the ELC offered 160-plus attendees the chance to consider what it means to feel welcomed at St. 卢克的，如果有的话，挑战我们的归属感. 

首先由校长马克·戴维斯致开幕词, 会议在Zoom上举行, where attendees were encouraged to enter prepared to listen closely and seek to understand one another. Participants were inspired by the wise words of Ruth Bader Ginsberg who stated simply, “Real change, enduring change, 一步一步来.ELC就是迈向包容性文化变革的其中一步. The alumni retrospective video that followed highlighted the impact of assumptions and privilege, 以及人际关系和适应力的重要性, 关于融入和归属圣. Luke’s. Stories told by alumni also called our attention to the fact that no two students, 抛开他们的相似之处, 将会有同样的经历. 卢克的，个性很重要. 

 

 

With the alumni retrospective serving as an example of the power of storytelling, attendees were asked to focus on really listening to the people in our community and consider diverse points of view. As expected, St. 卢克的学生们应付自如. 在学生体验结束的时候, I witnessed Middle and Upper School students expressing gratitude to one another for their willingness to be open-minded, reflect, 带着谦卑重新思考, 拥抱脆弱. 从我坐过的地方, the student participants at the ELC modeled for the adults what it means to “enter to learn.” 

短暂的休息之后, we gathered again as a community for a debrief with each of the constituent groups. 

受托人小组说我们需要圣. Luke的社区考虑扩展“多样性”的定义,一个既能捕捉到可见差异又能捕捉到隐晦差异的人. 

The alumni group identified and named the “paradox of niceness” — the unaddressed issues beneath the surface of positive experiences. This group also expressed the value of having a widely diverse faculty who reflect the student body and inevitably contribute to a student’s sense of belonging. 

Both trustees and alumni recognized that issues of inclusion are challenging and extend well beyond the Hilltop. This is all the more reason to start leaning into uncomfortable and challenging topics at St. Luke’s. 

The faculty and staff constituent group doubled-down on the topic of “niceness” and the importance of adults to provide representative mirrors for students and one another. 

来自父组, 我们听到了一些相同主题的变奏, 包括认真考虑家庭配对的重要性, group dynamics, 在策划社交活动时考虑地理因素.

The highlights offered from each constituent group were a reminder to get curious about “both/and” dynamics. For instance, “niceness as a double edge sword” — a means to both foster belonging and mask the need for courageous conversations. Or the need to consider both our similarities and our differences as a function of inclusion at St. Luke’s. 

 

 

Next, we heard from our Middle and Upper School panelists who reflected on 1) why it can be difficult to talk about differences, 2)他们希望SLS社区更多地讨论什么, 3)我们能做些什么让学校更具包容性. These students highlighted the need to move from conversations about equity and inclusion to meaningful actions, 如St所述. 卢克对包容性卓越的愿景. 

For example:

Finally, to close out the conference, all were invited to share lingering thoughts and reflections. 大家分享了更多建设性的意见, including the importance of adults modeling honesty and vulnerability; forming genuine connections with inspiring adults; celebrating diversity; starting early to support all students with an expanded definition of diversity, 确保问责制，以始终如一地解决问题. While no one could have known exactly how the 股权领导会议 would unfold, 有一件事是肯定的, 我们有一个新的包容性的学校传统正在形成-一个为我们所有人服务的传统. 

For Students -考虑加入俱乐部或申请小组来继续对话.g., MS反种族主义俱乐部或MS DLC, US DLC, 美国学生走向反种族主义转型, 或同性恋-异性恋联盟).

教师/员工 - Join the WE ARE or PoC affinity conversations and learn more about the initiatives developing out of the E&办公室和公平领导团队.

 

For Parents - Participate in the Parents’ Association and MOSAIC events to connect with other families. 

 

如果你认为自己是白人, 我们邀请您加入SLS种族平等家长小组, started by Karen Stamoulis and Liz Perry following Robin DiAngelo’s talk last spring. This group meets monthly via Zoom and is a “brave space” for parents who identify as white and want to become active allies for people of color. 通过反思白人的种族身份, this group is focused on becoming more skilled at talking about race and racism and practicing the skills of disrupting racism. This is an allyship group, which is different from an affinity space (you can read more about 亲和团体. Luke's here). 下次会议是在2月17日星期三晚上7点. 电邮利兹·佩里: perrye@mediagate-egy.net 如果你想了解更多信息. 

 

For Alumni - Contact Stefanie Veneruso to learn more about groups being formed out of the Alumni Office, 包括新的社区体验计划和SLS连接校友小组.

For Trustees - Stay actively involved in the conversation and work closely with the 公平与包容 Committee.