On Saturday, February 3, The Park School hosted the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE) 2024 Middle School Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference. Over a year ago, when Park applied for and was chosen to be the conference host school, the date in February 2024 seemed impossibly far away, and yet this amazing event came together with breathtaking momentum, to phenomenal results.
Led by Alile Eldridge and Erina Spiegelman, Park’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) team, in partnership with AISNE and supported by over 30 adult volunteers from the Park community and AISNE partner schools, the day came together through an amazing choreography of logistics. I loved the excited energy of students visiting Park for the first time as they moved through our hallways, and the warmth and pride of our own students and volunteers as they welcomed all our visitors.
In choosing the theme “Honoring Our Humanity” for this year’s event, Alile and Erina thought deeply about the importance of “care.” At a time when we are still healing from pandemic isolation, and we grapple with challenges presented by world events and the challenge of communicating across differences, the idea of taking care of ourselves and each other resonates strongly. Dedicating the conference to honoring the humanity in each of us prioritized a very intentional coming together, inviting students to be seen and known in their wholeness.
Alile shared, “When we learned that the conference’s mission is to ‘lift up the voices and experiences of student identities often marginalized in independent schools and serves to build community, knowledge, and skills through workshops, keynotes, and student-to-student learning, sharing, and socializing,’ it was essential to ground the conference in a theme that could resonate and feel meaningful for every attendee. ‘Honoring our Humanity’ is something that I hope all participants felt during the conference, and I hope the message sustains in the coming days, months and years.”
Over the course of a single day, 275 students and over 40 chaperones from nearly 40 New England independent middle schools participated in 34 unique workshops. They joined nine adult-facilitated affinity and alliance groups. They were inspired by two powerful keynote speakers. They consumed over 300 pre-packed lunches planned according to dietary needs – vegetarian, Kosher, carnivore, gluten free, and dairy free. They connected, took risks, and learned. They wrote and shared stories. They explored the many facets of identity. They explored, bonded, and supported one another…and so much more.
Workshop topics ranged from “The History and Care of Black Hair: The Study of Natural Hair” to “Embracing Neurodiversity,” “Representation Matters! Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Experiences,” “Being Jewish in an Independent School Today,” “Fat is Not a Bad Word: Unpacking Body Messages,” and “Masks and How We Navigate our Spaces.”
Reflecting back on the day, one element that sticks with me is the incredible energy during the opening keynote presentation, in which Peabody Award-winning Journalist-turned Inspirational Speaker and Author Mariana Atencio talked about “living authentically.” One of our students later reported, “It was like being inside a TED Talk!” Atencio encouraged each student to think about what makes each of them “perfectly you.” She shared stories about the pressures she felt to conform to molds that did not allow her to live authentically, and the ways in which she has grown and healed through her own journey. For middle school students who are just now figuring out how to be themselves in the midst of peer pressure, social media, and so much more, this message was incredibly empowering.
In the day’s concluding event, Matt Garza, the Artistic Director of The Haus of Glitter, spoke about the need to uncover lost history, heal from loss, and rebuild things to be whole again. They spoke to both pain and joy and the ways they commingle for so many of us. They also recognized the beauty that is revealed when people come together to create new ways of connecting and open the door to essential healing.
Eliza Alexander, AISNE’s Director of Research & Special Programs, played an active part in the planning and execution of the event. She observes that “Watching students dancing during the opening general session filled me with joy and gratitude for our AISNE network.” She reflects, “As I looked out at a packed theater, filled with middle schoolers and their chaperones from close to 40 schools, it underscored how we are living our mission of ‘an ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion.’ So much of AISNE programming is centered on adult learning; being with middle schoolers for the day is a wonderful reminder that the reason we work with our adult educators is in service of the students in our care. The Park School was an amazing partner in strengthening our beloved community.”
Feedback from AISNE’s surveys reports that students appreciated what it felt like to be their authentic selves for the day, in an environment that lifted them up. For me, as a school leader, this prompts ongoing reflection about how much work we must keep doing every day, how much real healing needs to happen, in order to create a learning environment where every student feels this way every single day.
At Park, we pride ourselves on being a warm, engaged community. I’m proud of the ways that our community demonstrated warmth, engagement, and commitment to our DEIB values in supporting this event. As I said to many people during the conference, I am so proud of our School, colleagues, and our students.
