FINDING TALENT

Event forms partnership between boarding schools and HBCUs

ADYNAMIC new program called Building Bridges brought together representatives from boarding schools and historically Black colleges and universities at St. George’s on Sept. 21–24, 2022.

The brainchild of Admission Associate and Director of Multicultural Recruitment Dwayne Pina (pictured left), the event welcomed students and administrators from Howard University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College for three days of class visits, special presentations, and candid conversations, all with the goal of encouraging the college students to consider teaching at an independent school. Dr. Vanessa Cohen Gibbons, chief equity and inclusion officer at Milton Academy; Anika Walker-Johnson, director of residential life at Milton; Tyrone Black, associate head of school at Tabor Academy; and Derek Krein, dean of faculty at Tabor, also participated in the program.

According to Mr. Pina, Building Bridges was largely inspired by the work of Dr. Chuck Herring, director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for the South Fayette Township School

District, outside Pittsburgh. There, Mr. Herring has developed an innovative program called OTIS: Operation Teacher (of Color) Irrigation System, which aims to bring more Black teachers into the classroom so that students of color see themselves reflected in their mentors. The program was launched in the fall of 2021, when four undergraduate students majoring in elementary education at Howard University visited Allegheny County, Pa., where 42 percent of schools don’t have a single teacher of color.

Mr. Herring, Mr. Herring, who came to the Hilltop for th Building Bridges event and offered his inspirational message about “Fostering Equity & Inclusion One Conversation at a Time,” said the opportunity to expand the scope of his program at St. George’s was particularly rewarding.

“Now we can have the boarding school experience, the day school experience, the independent school experience, along with the public-school experience. They’re all part of this ecosystem,” Dr. Herring told the 10 college students who traveled to St. George’s — four from Howard, and three each from Spelman and Morehouse — all with various majors, including political science, music, biology, English, history, economics, and education.

“That’s why I’m buoyant right now. Just thinking about something that started in [my] brain —and then it winds up in this space.”

Dr. Herring said the experience reminded him of a quote about creativity from E.L.

Doctorow: “It’s like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

“You don’t know how things are going to happen,” Dr. Herring said. “We only have to see 200 feet in front of us, right? And I would’ve never seen this.”

The students arrived with various representatives from their schools: Dr. Katina January-Vance, the director of school and university partnerships at Howard University’s School of Education; Dr. Nina Gilbert, director for the Morehouse Center for Excellence in Education; Bria Toussaint, assistant director of academic programs and strategic initiatives at Morehouse College; and Samantha Stewart-Elmore, a consultant and senior advisor for outreach initiatives at Morehouse.

To welcome our guests to campus, a cookout was held at Vermillion House, where educators, college students, and St. George’s students of color mingled and ate, and even broke into a spontaneous group dance of the “Cupid Shuffle.”

The first full day of the program began with breakfast with members of St. George’s DEI Steering Committee and a tour of campus with SG student guides. Head of School Alixe Callen and Associate Head of School for Student Life Mervan Osborne then welcomed the group and outlined St. George’s DEI initiatives. Building Bridges, they said, came about as an opportunity to address Goal 1 of St. George’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan: “Amplify the academic excellence that comes from people of a diversity of experi- ences and backgrounds sharing their perspectives within a vibrant residential academic community.”

A presentation to help the college students better understand life at boarding school was led by St. George’s Dean of Students Xander Jones, Ms. Walker-Johnson, and Mr. Krein. Other sessions led by SG faculty included topics such as faculty professional development, college counseling, and life at a predominantly white boarding school as a person of color. A number of St. George’s students of color met with the college students as well.

Day two of the program brought the students from Morehouse, Spelman, and Howard to the campuses of Milton and Tabor.

Following the Building Bridges event, Mr. Pina said he was overwhelmed by the amount of support he received while organizing the event. His first conversations with Dr. Herring about the program, he said, began more than a year ago.

“I would like to thank everyone involved with the planning and execution of the inaugural Building Bridges Program,” Mr. Pina said. “The event exceeded all of my expectations, and I feel like it was a transformative experience for the program participants, the St. George’s community, and our partner institutions.”

Morehouse's Dr. Gilbert thanked thanked St. George’s for what she called “an amazing visit.”

“It was such a memorable experience for our team and students,” she said.

Dr. January-Vance, of Howard, told Mr. Pina she appreciated his vision. “We look forward to partnering with you in the future,” she wrote to him. “The Building Bridges Program is a true testament to the magnitude of work still to come.” 