Students Lead Diversity Day Discussions

After the service, Upper School students watched For the Bible Tells Me So, a documentary about the sometimes complicated relationship between homosexuality and the Christian Church. The film was introduced by the Rev. Timothy Boggs, associate rector of St. Albans Parish Church, who was one of the producers of the film. Middle School students viewed What Do You Believe?, a film examining how teenagers from a variety of religious traditions come to terms with their respective faiths. Students from the Lower School watched That’s a Family!, a documentary that traces and celebrates our culture’s evolving ideas about what constitutes a family. Sixth-grader Alison Cenname appreciated how the movie made her “thoughtful about different types of families,” and helped her to realize that “families are all the same if everyone loves and cares for each other.”

Students from the Middle and Upper Schools continued the day with a Diversity Spectrum, an exercise which challenged them to answer difficult questions about how they define themselves. This was followed by several student-led workshops, ranging from classes on origami to seminar-style discussions on dual identities. In addition to acquiring new skills and debating controversial issues, students had the opportunity to demonstrate their prowess as peer-educators. “I loved having the opportunity to see our students as teachers,” remarked Middle School English teacher Paige Blumer. “I was impressed by both their poise and their enthusiasm in sharing their knowledge with their classmates.”

After tasting foods from around the world and learning about other cultures, students filed down to the Athletic Center, where they listened to a presentation by guest speaker Marc Elliot, who suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome. Mr. Eliot’s talk and subsequent Q&A session were aimed at dispelling prejudices about Tourette’s and combating intolerance in general. Eliot drew a distinction between tolerance and acceptance, explaining that the first step is to work toward a “bare minimum” of tolerance, and that we should aspire to acceptance. Eliot defined intolerance as “turning assumptions into action.” While he acknowledged the inevitability of making assumptions, he underscored that what matters most is the moment between thought and action, the moment when we decide how to behave. “We really do know so little about other people’s lives,” he pointed out. With humor and disarming honesty, he argued that our imperfect knowledge means that we should err on the side of kindness.

Diversity Day concluded with a vibrant talent show. Celtic Dance, Spanish rap, and a Chinese love song, among other engaging performances, captivated the audience. “It was interesting to see Mr. Xu sing because you got to see another side of him,” said 8th-grader Grace Bartenfelder, speaking of Chinese teacher Ted Xu's terrific performance singing with seniors Lanya Butler and Pryscilla Yoon.  Diversity Day was a success precisely because students and teachers got to see different sides of one another, and of course, of themselves.

To see a photo gallery of Diversity Day, click here.

--Emily Leithauser, English Teacher