This year, Park launched an affinity group program with the hope of engaging families across the Park community in thoughtful conversation and connection. Created in partnership with the Parents’ Association, the program seeks to bring together community members who share common backgrounds and lived experiences. Affinity and alliance groups have been a part of the Park student experience for several  years, and members of the parent/guardian community have hoped to create them for parents as well.

While we don’t label them as such, it’s important to recognize that many affinity groups already exist at Park. Each athletics team, advisory group, and grade level represents an affinity group with which its members identify. Various spaces, such as the faculty room or gendered bathrooms, similarly exist already as “affinity” spaces. Even Park itself – the larger community our families join when deciding to send their children to Park – is an affinity group. As a community, we accept and even celebrate these types of affinities.

Criticism of affinity groups often centers on the perception that they are exclusionary. Reframing this mindset is essential as we move forward with this initiative. Our view of affinity groups as being an intentional and appropriate grouping that provides support to members of the community that often feel “othered” is crucial. The feelings of isolation that come with marginalized identities are lifted when safe spaces are created to show members of our community that they are not alone.  Affinity Groups provide an essential opportunity for people within the community to come together to talk about common experiences, raise questions and develop solutions, support each other, and together find ways to negotiate the larger community space we all share. The shared connections and understanding these groups facilitate and the opportunity they create to amplify voices of people outside the centered group can serve to deepen the understanding of the community’s diverse identities and needs, and thereby create a greater sense of community for all. 

During the summer of 2020, the co-chairs of the PA DEI committee, along with PA leaders Eliza Hoover and Doreen Ho, created a survey for all Park families, seeking to assess their interest in affinity groups. Nearly 60 families responded, indicating interest in joining or helping lead various groups, and the PA created a new committee to oversee the creation, launch, and coordination of affinity groups. The committee sought to create systems and structures to support the groups so that they would function with consistency, that they would be sustainable, and that they would have a clear sense of mission and inclusion. 

Among the PA’s goals was to ensure that affinity groups would become an integral part of the Park community. This is a priority that aligns consistently with the overall goals of Park’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan, which recognizes that “equity and inclusion” is the ongoing, foundational work of building community, and that affinity groups are an integral aspect of that foundation. Jessica Parsons and Divya Kumar stepped up to chair the new committee and began working to identify facilitators and tie the whole effort together. 

By December, group facilitators were working with Park DEI liaison (and parent) Elyse Seltzer in affinity group leadership training. Divya notes that the training was tremendously helpful, “laying the groundwork for myriad aspects of affinity group work, including creating group guidelines, managing difficult conversations, and learning how to use different tech tools for virtual meetings.” In January, eight new affinity groups launched, extending invitations to all Park parents/guardians who wished to join.  

The initial eight groups – chosen based on expressed community interest as well as where there was a parent able to serve as facilitator – include:

• Adoptive Families

• Asian/Asian-American/Pacific Islander Parents/Guardians

• Black Parents/Guardians

• Families Receiving Financial Aid

• Families Supporting Children with Learning Differences

• Latinx Parents/Guardians

• LGBTQIA Parents/Guardians

• Multiracial Families

Asked to provide one word about how they felt about their experiences leading affinity groups so far, Park facilitators said: “energized,” “relieved,” “positive,” “jittery,” “connection,” “exhale,” “excited,” “optimistic,” “nostalgic,” “supported,” and “finally.” As a group, they shared a common sense of relief in being able to communicate openly and deeply about the shared experience of participants in each group. One participant noted that the groups provide a valuable opportunity for unfiltered conversation, with less of a need for the sort of diplomatic language that often makes it harder to get to the real core of a matter.

CydCharise Jeyes (parent of a first and fifth grader) believes so strongly in the value of gathering in affinity that she stepped up to co-facilitate not one or even two but four affinity groups. She observes, “The primary benefit of affinity groups is that they make people comfortable. It’s so valuable to have a forum where the people present share a similar experience to whatever is on your mind. Because the Park parent/guardian group is so unique and diverse, we can really be a resource for each other.” Even as each of the groups focuses on distinct and different topics, there is a welcome sense of relief in finding a space in which to talk about the concerns that impact their families, and to connect with others with similar experiences. Participants agree that “Everyone really seems to be needing the space.”

Given that the initiative launched with just those groups for which there were parent volunteers ready to facilitate, Park’s affinity groups do not represent all the possible affinities the community shares, so there is much room for growth. The committee hopes that more parents and guardians, upon seeing these efforts underway, will identify other affinity topics they would like to help lead, so that space for those efforts can be made as well.

While we hope more families will engage in these conversations as time goes on, the relative size of a group does not  impact the quality of the experience. A participant observes, “You can get a sense of community with five people on the screen or with 40. However many people join, the conversation is still being had.” But if more people join, that many more people will benefit from the sense of peace that comes from being in this constructive, supportive space together.

While parents and guardians at Park have always found ways to connect with others who share their experiences, there is a difference between ad hoc gatherings and the statement the school makes by enabling them. Reflecting on the group dynamic, participants noted that even in groups that brought longtime friends and peers together, the structure of affinity group conversations around a given topic or experience allowed for deeper, more substantive discussions because they created a dedicated time and space devoted to these issues, as opposed to more casual previous interactions.

The group facilitators communicate between meetings and share agendas, resources, and guidelines. After the first round of meetings, all the facilitators came together to share successes, surprises, and things they would like to do differently – a powerful enactment of the way in which the experience of individual groups supports and empowers the collective efforts of them all. A group leader observes, “Overwhelmingly, folks felt like their groups went well, and everyone seemed so excited and positive and energized and relieved. So many good feelings!”

In addition to these affinity groups, the initiative has also led to the creation of a working group for White Parents/Guardians Working Toward Anti-Racism – Education, Reflection, and Action. The working group looks forward to ensuring transparency regarding the topics discussed, the materials used, and to sharing the presentations used in its discussions, with the hopes that all can know, see, and engage with what is being discussed.

The realities of COVID-19 have, perhaps unexpectedly, helped this effort get off the ground. From a practical standpoint, the need for all meetings to occur virtually has eliminated one significant barrier to participation: families no longer need to find a way to be on campus for an in-person meeting, thus opening the (virtual) door to those with childcare or professional obligations that make in person attendance difficult. In addition, the loss of the usual points of connection families are accustomed to finding day to day at Park has made these opportunities for connection all the more welcome. Further, the context creates a greater opportunity to expand connections to include participants drawing from outside preexisting social groups.

Still, the facilitators note, participation has not yet grown to the level all hope for. Understanding that it sometimes takes time for important programs like this to become fully incorporated into the community’s consciousness, everyone hopes that ongoing communication and transparency will encourage more people to get involved. The leaders note, “We want to ensure that all who wish to join a group feel welcome, have a clear sense of when groups will meet and receive appropriate reminders.” Equally important is the hope that friends will reach out to friends to encourage the involvement of those who may be less naturally inclined to find their way into these conversations, knowing that greater engagement in this work will only make Park a stronger community.

We look forward to all the community building to come from these solid and exciting beginnings, and are grateful to all whose commitment and investment of self have brought the program this far.

Park’s Director of Athletics Bob Little recalls coaching a soccer clinic with former Park teacher and coach Dean Conway, back in the summer of 1999. In the middle of practice one morning, Dean suddenly brought play to a halt.

“Hey, everyone!” he said, “Look up there! That is a red-tailed hawk. Now watch what happens, because in a moment, crows will come out and cooperate to drive it away. It’s invading their territory.” The players dropped down into a circle and leaned back on their elbows to stare skyward as the aviary contest unfolded.

Coaches and athletes — teachers and students — out under the open sky, spontaneously observing animal behavior and connecting it to the strategy of a soccer game. A perfect illustration of the way outdoor experiences support the “whole child” philosophy that is at the core of Park’s educational mission.

Tirelessly maintained by the Facilities Department, Park’s remarkable campus provides for creative, open-ended play, competitive sport, scientific exploration, artistic inspiration, and community gathering. With its six athletic fields, old-growth woods, gardens, plantings, playgrounds, and rocky outcrops, this gorgeous parcel of South Brookline has been a defining part of the Park experience for at least two generations. During the pandemic, moving many activities outside has increased safety for all and prompted new thinking as to how Park can continue to use its outdoor resources when we return to normal.

While wooded areas of the campus may more-or-less tend to themselves (besides the need to clear an occasional fallen bough or tree, and occasional health assessments by arborists Bartlett Tree Experts), Park’s fields, playgrounds, roads, paths, steps, and courtyards most definitely do not.

Park’s Facilities Team provides this continual, comprehensive outdoor maintenance. Required throughout the school year are regular tasks such as mowing, field line painting, and irrigation; raking and leaf removal; path and road salting and snow removal; fertilization, planting, and mulching.

Director of Facilities Jennifer Mullin notes a wide range of additional outdoor work. Preparation for annual special events such as Springfest and Graduation (one of Jennifer’s favorite projects) must be planned and completed on schedule, without fail. Major projects, such as the 2017-18 renovation of the Discovery Playground, or the upcoming replacement of the main building’s roof planned for this summer, require substantial coordination and support from the facilities staff. And even as students and much of the faculty depart for well-earned vacations, the Facilities Team stays at it, tackling maintenance projects more easily accomplished with the campus in a less active mode. Throughout the summer camp season, regular maintenance work continues.

Of course, in a region like New England, flexibility and responsive action is essential at times. Ever wondered how the team clears overnight snow in time for morning drop-off? “We’ll start plowing at, say, 8 p.m.,” says Jennifer, “…and then the guys will keep going into the night, and then we’ll come in, go to sleep for a bit, and then get up at 5 a.m. and continue on plowing until everything’s cleared.” You heard that right! Dedicated Facilities Team members sleep overnight on air mattresses in order to stay on top of the snowfall.

As the pandemic unfolded, the Facilities Department remained just as flexible and committed, taking on Park’s functional response outdoors as well as the gargantuan task of preparing indoor spaces to meet new protocols. Moreover, Jennifer, Facilities Manager Joel DeJesus, and the rest of their dedicated team needed to remain “in-person” consistently – given that of course, very few of their responsibilities can be accomplished “virtually.” Changes like the installation of multiple outdoor classroom tents, new signage on exterior doors, and management of new entrance/exit and pedestrian circulation patterns were pivotal in the return to in-person learning.

Critical safety considerations aside, without Park’s outdoor classrooms and fresh air to clear minds both young and old, this ‘annus horribilis‘ would have been even tougher to bear. First Grade teacher Jerilyn Willig has spent many an hour this year with her students in the tent located across from the Lower Division Carpool Pickup area. She appreciates the “connection and community” this has fostered among the kids, observing, “For the portion of each day they are out there, they have zero ready-made toys, manufactured games, prefabbed play structures, etc. What they do have is unlimited access to nature, to conversation, to their own and each other’s curious minds, big hearts, gorgeous spirits, and collective powers of thinking, supporting, creating, problem-solving, learning, and enjoying.” 

Take a walk through a wooded spot on campus, in pandemic times or not, and you’ll almost certainly find a lean-to made of sticks, an arrangement of balanced rocks, or other signs of these young imaginations at work. Take a walk a day or two later, and entirely new creations will have emerged. But perhaps needless to say, the kinetic energy that goes into building a tree-limb shelter isn’t always entirely exhausted during recess. Especially for younger students, this can pose a challenge to attention spans in a regular indoor classroom – without doubt even more so outdoors, under a tent. Enter the Athletics and Physical Education Departments, responsible for activating students’ muscles as well as minds.

Twenty-two years on from that July morning when he watched a hawk getting hassled by crows (the technical term for this behavior is “mobbing”), Bob Little “has been grateful for every day on our campus…an embarrassment of riches in terms of outdoor space.” That has remained true this school year, despite its massive challenges.

As Park navigated re-opening this past fall, Bob, partnering with Physical Education Department Head Michelle Young and an expanded roster of stalwart, energetic P.E. teachers, committed to lead outdoor, in-person classes whenever possible – in all but the nastiest weather conditions. Not only was this guided by common sense, it was prescribed by Massachusetts public health authorities. Creative thinking led to a range of new activities to supplement the usual P.E. repertoire. Students played badminton, golf, and archery on the fields, practiced basketball skills practice (no passing from player to player allowed), and street hockey on parking lots and the tennis court. When snow fell, there was sledding on Larz Anderson (what matters is the exercise of climbing up the 217’ hill multiple times, not so much the sliding down). The success of these new activities, and the overall increase in time outside during this school year have also awakened Park’s P.E. team to new possibilities for the post-pandemic future.

Competitive athletics, meanwhile, express the skills and fitness honed in P.E. classes within a cooperative team context. In a typical year out on Park’s six playing fields (a truly remarkable number for any PreK-8 school), soccer, field hockey, flag football, lacrosse, softball, and track & field teammates train and compete. Cross country runners circumnavigate the campus perimeter on the Park “Loop,” venture to nearby Brookline Reservoir and Jamaica Pond, and cross Goddard Avenue to host an annual meet at Larz Anderson Park. The ice hockey team, too, benefits from Park’s neighboring resources, practicing on Larz Anderson’s outdoor rink at the break of dawn. In the late spring, “Total Day” brings students in Grades 5–8 outside to compete in field events.

This school year, team sports have continued, in altered form. “We’re just trying to keep the kids’ competitive juices flowing the best we can!” says Bob. In the fall, some “virtual” competition against other schools was possible for the cross country team; runners’ times were recorded as they completed matching distances at their respective schools. A similar approach should be possible for track & field this spring. But most sports are currently intramural, with practices grouped by grade as opposed to skill level. Bob notes the added challenge of recruiting teachers in a given grade to step in as coaches for that grade – necessary so as to maintain pandemic “clustering” protocols. All hands on deck.

In good times and bad, the Park community plays, learns, works, and gathers outside on our extraordinary 34-acre campus. How incredibly fortunate we all are!

Each year, the Park community looks forward to welcoming approximately 400 grandparents and special friends to campus on the morning before Thanksgiving. In order to ensure the health and safety of the community this year, COVID-19 has necessitated many changes and, when it was clear this fall that our traditional Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day (GPSFD) would not be possible, we had to get creative to share the Park experience with our broader community.

Before the school year was even underway, we took the opportunity to connect with several peer schools to learn how they had adapted their GPSFD to a virtual format, as many had done so last spring when learning remotely. When school began in the fall, members of Park’s Administration including Assistant Head for Academics & Programs Eric Chapman, Lower Division Head Kimberly Formisano, and Upper Division Head Ken Rogers, along with Director of Alumni Relations Jamie Byron, began this work in earnest, thinking about how a special experience could be made possible for guests in this unique year. At this time, we were beginning to learn that there would be challenges associated with guests “Zoom-ing” into classes while students were on campus – grandparents likely wouldn’t be able to see their loved ones if the entire class would appear on one screen, and the masks that students wear in order to remain safe on campus were likely to create complications for virtual visitors trying to hear what was going on in class. For these reasons, we set our sights on having Virtual GPSFD on a Wednesday, when students would be learning remotely.

Like so many aspects of Park’s operation this year, creating our first Virtual Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day was a true community-wide effort, and would not have been possible without incredible partnership from all corners of the school. Park teachers shared generously of their time and talent to create a special experience for guests. In the Lower Division (PreK – 4), classroom teachers prepared to invite guests to their live, virtual morning meetings. In the Upper Division (Grades 5 – 8), where the complexity of the schedule was a barrier to live classes, faculty shared incredible examples of student work, projects, photos, and videos to be shared with special guests.

Virtual GPSFD would not have been possible without the partnership of the incredible Remote Learning Team – Maria Griffiths (Kindergarten), Daniel Howard (Grade 1), Giovanni Bradley-Campbell (Grade 2), Courtney Grey (Grade 3), Julie Clarke (Grade 4), Sophie Moss (Grade 5), and Pamela Penna (Director of Instructional Practice). This dedicated team of educators works tirelessly each week to ensure that students who are learning remotely are engaged and connected, and part of their work involves Virtual Classrooms, which are fun, virtual spaces for students to explore while they are learning away from Park. On Virtual GPSFD, the Remote Learning Team gave guests the opportunity to explore these classrooms, and shared a peek at what this unique year is like for today’s students.

In the weeks leading up to Virtual GPSFD, the Communications Team worked tirelessly to try to ensure that guests would have a seamless experience. Director of Communications Kate LaPine designed a beautiful webpage, with the goal that guests would have all of the information that they would need in one place, rather than having to manage different links for various events throughout the morning. In addition to the links to live classroom visits and events, guests would also be able to access a Virtual Classroom for each grade level on this page, that they were welcome to explore at any point on Virtual GPSFD.

565 guests from
35 states and
9 countries!

With the stage set for February 10th, we turned the corner to Virtual Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day with eager anticipation. Excitement grew for everyone involved as the RSVPs continued to come in from all over the country, and the world – with 565 registered guests joining us from 35 states and nine countries! Early on the morning of the event, Park’s Development Team arrived on campus to provide support for the day’s virtual visitors. The Team was available to answer questions via phone, email, and Zoom, and had a wonderful time connecting with grandparents and special friends as they virtually made their way to live classes, a “State of the School” presentation by Head of School Scott Young, and Virtual Coffees with Division Heads Kimberly Formisano and Ken Rogers. Technological questions were also expertly navigated by Director of Technology Carole Carter and the Technology Team.

Though we were disappointed not to be able to welcome Park’s guests in person this year, we are grateful for the inclusivity and accessibility made possible by this year’s virtual event. In a time when travel is not possible, Virtual GPSFD created opportunities of connection for families, and a chance for grandparents and special friends to participate in the great work being done by students and teachers this year. In future years, when we can safely celebrate on campus again, we look forward to working to ensure that our special guests who live outside of the Boston area have the opportunity to participate as well. Thank you to all of the faculty, staff, students, parents, grandparents, and special friends who made this special morning possible!